Immigrants/Future Americans

I just received an article in my City College news feed from former General Colin Powell: "Immigrants/future Americans/make America better/every single day." It made me think about my second YA novel, WHY NO BHINE, about the plight of the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar. It also made me think about my grandparents, who were immigrants. Such perfect timing since last week I saw the beloved classic, "Fiddler on the Roof." As Powell says, "Immigration is a vital part of our national being because people come here not just to build a better life for themselves and their children, but to become American citizens. And with access to education and a clear path to citizenship, they routinely become some of the best, the most patriotic Americans you'll ever know." 

Many of us are children of immigrants and know that the journey for our grandparents was very hard. Things have not changed very much, though our country and countries around the world are suggesting a closed door policy. If the door had been closed, I would not be here today, since my grandpa would have suffered or perhaps died in the awful programs in his native Russia. And so I continue to write about the need for serious immigration laws that support the terrible injustices for people around the world, many of whom MUST escape their country of origin in order to survive.