Legal immigrants feel suspicion's sting, too

[rainbow13]

Thursday, 08/30/07

Legal immigrants feel suspicion's sting, too
Midstate Latinos feel harassed, resent being lumped with those in U.S. illegally

By JENNIFER BROOKS
and COLBY SLEDGE
Staff Writers


The last time Freddy Valcarcel crossed the border, the guard on the U.S. side of the line squinted suspiciously at his passport.

"You don't look American," he told him.


As it happened, the border in question was with Canada, and the Valcarcel family was heading back to Middle Tennessee from vacation.

Freddy Valcarcel is a retired Marine, pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Clarksville and a U.S. citizen since birth, thank you very much. But as a native of Puerto Rico, his dark skin and distinctive accent are enough to make him an object of suspicion these days.

The debate over illegal immigration in this country has stirred resentment, hostility and suspicion — and all too often, legal immigrants, naturalized residents and U.S. citizens of Hispanic descent are the ones getting caught in the blowback.

Sometimes they're targeted with comments, other times with legislation. For instance, a bill introduced by state Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro this year would have made the state driver's license test available only in English. Ketron, a Republican, said then he wanted the bill to set the tone for other proposals dealing with immigration.

The move would have affected only legal immigrants, said Stephen Fotopulos, policy director for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. They're the only ones allowed to take the exam since a state program allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driving certificates was suspended in February 2006 and killed in May of this year.

"In the last couple of election cycles, you hear people talking about immigrants in incredibly harsh terms, and it seems more publicly acceptable," Fotopulos said.

Melba Espinosa is tired of people asking to see her green card. "I tell them I'm a citizen. I don't need no green card," said Espinosa, a native of Puerto Rico who has lived in Middle Tennessee for the past 15 years.

"There are people who think every single Latino in this country is illegal," she said. "They see a Latino face and somebody with my accent, and they assume. I just look at them and laugh."

Woman was in tears

Maria Vera of Nashville ran into discrimination at the very office set up to assist immigrants who follow the rules and do everything right — the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.

After studying for months, Vera traveled to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service office in Memphis to take her citizenship test. She was nervous enough about the test — How many stripes are the in the U.S. flag? (Thirteen.) Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? (Everyone — citizens and noncitizens — living in the U.S.)

Then, she said, she ran into a fast-talking bureaucrat. Confused by the woman's rapid-fire questions, Vera asked her to slow down and repeat the question.

"The lady says to me, 'Go away and learn English,' " she said. "I went outside, and I cried."

Next week, she will head back to Memphis to try again. This time, her teacher says she will be ready. Ben Cook has been volunteering at the Woodbine Community Center for the past two years, teaching citizenship classes. The class has a 100 percent success rate on a test that probably would baffle most people who were born and raised in America. (Quick! How many nonvoting representatives sit in Congress? Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court? Name all the original 13 colonies!)

"There are two types of person you're going to meet at the immigration office," Cook told his students on a recent evening. "One is going to be happy to see you. The other person, maybe they're having a bad day. Maybe they figure there are enough immigrants in this country and we don't need any more. That's the person I'm trying to prepare you for."

Few complain

By and large, legal immigrants are reluctant to complain about the day-to-day harassment and hostility they may face. The Metro Human Rights Commission received just 25 complaints last year from people who say they were harassed because of their Hispanic heritage.

In one case, a worker contacted the office, saying his employer refused to allow him to speak to his co-workers in Spanish, even on his break. Commissioner Kelvin Jones said there was no record of how the dispute was resolved.

Most Hispanic residents say they simply want to work, raise their families and blend into their new communities.

Luis Bustillos used to drive to work past a huge sign that flashed the message to all motorists along I-40: "Immigrants! If you're illegal, go home. If you're legal, welcome to America. Speak English."

"I used to get mad when I saw negative comments," said Bustillos, a naturalized citizen who immigrated to Nashville in 1981. "Lately, I don't get mad. I try to understand where (the critics) are coming from."

A few weeks ago, Pastor Valcarcelwent to his bank to open a new account for a church fund. The teller refused after noticing that the name on his Social Security card didn't match the name on his driver's license. He had to talk his way up the bank's chain of command, until he reached a regional manager who finally understood that his Social Security card listed his name in the traditional Latin American style — with both of his parents' surnames — while the driver's license used only his father's family name.

"We constantly, constantly see people looking at us, judging us because they think we're illegal," he said.

During Valcarcel's military service, his family moved with him from duty post to duty post. His children, who were born in this country, have been forced to take an English as a Second Language test in almost every school they've attended.

"Every time we go to another school, they have to take the ESL just because they look Hispanic. They barely speak Spanish," he said.


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Comment on Article by Rainbow13:

I do empathize with U.S. citizens of Hispanic backgrounds and legal permanent Hispanic residents when they are judged to be illegal for reasons of accent or skin tone; however, I live in South Florida where in many areas Latinos are the majority and not the minority. In these areas, I have many times been discriminated against by Latinos due to the fact that I look to be Hispanic but am not and don't speak Spanish. Yo Hablo un poco Espanol (I speak a little Spanish). I want to point out that I've witnessed multiple examples of Hispanics discriminating against non-Hispanics and have been on the receiving end of that discrimination. We must start to discuss the fact that discrimination runs both ways in this matter. When I'm asked by Hispanics why I don't speak Spanish, I must admit that I'm offended-that's not to say that I don't think it's important for Americans to study and master second languages; however, it is to say that the langauge that has held us all together for hundreds of years has been English, and that tradition must continue if we are to stay one America. I am a person of color, yes, but I am an American first and foremost. I value the traditions of our great country and feel language is a vital component of culture-a component that enables us to relate to one another, empathize with one another and articulate to one another our hopes, dreams, fears, and our disagreements. To the legal immigrants who are feeling discriminated against, let me just say, so do I.

[crazybird]

Great comment Rainbow.....you nailed it very well.

[kniggit]

This is exactly why the legal immigrants should be as outraged as we are about the fact that the illegals were allowed flaunt the laws of our country.

[RuralCountryVeteran]

Why do I think that the Hispanic Americans should loudly voice opposition to illegal immigration just as Muslim Americans should loudly voice their opposition to Muslim terrorism? In a way, this attitude is the same. I work with a few Hispanic Americans and most either remain silent or side with illegals. The ones that remain silent may feel the pressure of the PC industry that we work in (health care) and can't afford to loose their livelihood for speaking out.

[BorderFox]

This is exactly why the legal immigrants should be as outraged as we are about the fact that the illegals were allowed flaunt the laws of our country.

BINGO!

[IndianaJones]

"The lady says to me, 'Go away and learn English,' " she said. "I went outside, and I cried."

Non-hispanic Americans cry too. So what? She cried... so what are we MIND READERS??? Due to the cavalcade of CROOKS running our 'democracy' we need to seperate the sheep from the wolves. Papers please!