Sanctuary

The city of my birth is now a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants, predominantly Latino. The house next door to my parents' home of 57 years was sold several years ago to Latino immigrants from Central America. While my mother was alive, I seldom spent much time in the house. Our visits were short and rather business-like for many reasons. Now, as I try to sort out the house after her recent death, I am spending quite a bit of time there. I now better understand why she was increasingly stressed in her last years.

The house next door is a large turn-of-the-20th-century structure. It functioned as a family-occupied two-unit home when my father built my parents' house in an empty lot next to it. Three generations of a Polish-American family lived there. The eldest generation had come from Poland as legal immigrants, imported for labor jobs in the early 20th century. They were rather serious people. Short on conversation and long on hard work. They grew vegetables and flowers. They maintained a couple of fruit trees. The property was meticulously groomed with respect for their land, their house and their neighbors.

Now that house is occupied by an ever-changing population. It is hard to tell how many people live there. It could be a dozen. It could be as many as thirty. Their cars occupy the curb along half the length of the once sedate street. There is a constant stream of traffic to and from the house, much of it accompanied by booming Latin rhythms from over-sized car stereos. The doors and windows are open all year round. The once pristine yard has large patches of bare dirt from human traffic. There is a rusting universal gym in the yard, probably salvaged from the trash, upon which many screaming children hang and swing. There is often the smell of marijuana on the breeze. 

Last evening, as I was leaving my mother's house, one of the cars from next door was obstructing half of my driveway. I could hear the loud partying of many people in the yard next door. Salsa music blared on a boom box. I went back in the house and wrote a note, "Please do not park in my driveway." I placed it on the windshield of the offending car. Before I could exit the driveway, a young man from next door was looking at the note I had left on his car with obvious puzzlement on his face. I assumed he could not read English.

I rolled down my window and politely asked him not to park there. I explained that I need access to the driveway and may need to have a truck come into it at some point in time. He stared at me blankly without any expression. I think he didn't understand a word I was saying. He simply turned, with note in hand, and walked slowly away. He did not move his car. He did not apologize for inconveniencing me. He did not say anything. I simply maneuvered around his car to get away.

I hear a lot of claptrap in the media about the poor illegal immigrants who need sanctuary here. I hear about their decency and their heartfelt wish to become Americans. I hear about their strong family values and religiosity. I see something very different next door to the house where I grew up. I see it all over the city of my birth. These are not the values of human respect and decency I learned as a child.

So, what of the sanctuary for those poor Americans who have lived in working class neighborhoods with strong American values of hard work, respect for their neighbors and respect for their property? Who attends to the loss of their property values when those who refuse to acculturate negatively impact their neighborhood? What is the responsibility of a city government which encourages this type of immigration within its city limits? What is the responsibility of a Federal government which allows municipalities to opt out of Federal law?

As a humanist, I understand and despise the economic inequities that exist in this country and internationally. I certainly do not begrudge any law-abiding, respectful person their place in this country. However, as a humanist I also strongly support civil order and the right of everyone to the peaceful enjoyment of their own home. I do not support the narcissistic imposition of another culture upon my own. 

The working class in America is bearing the brunt of the day-to-day adjustments to illegal, ethnocentric immigration. I am convinced that much of the anger that is heard coming from the Tea Party is rooted in this adjustment. Unfortunately, those with money and power, who are immune to the ground-level effects of illegal immigration, have turned a deaf ear to the cries of those most impacted by it. This will bring serious repercussions for all Americans in time.