GateHouse Media, Inc.
06/24/2012 10:00 AM
Boston Public Schools recently published its yearly list of the valedictorians graduating in the class of 2012. Thirty-nine schools were represented, and in those schools 18 of the students at the top of their class were born outside the United States.
The group included students who were born in Albania, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Haiti, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria and Vietnam. All of these exceptional students are moving on to colleges and universities; two are going to schools in our region, one to Bridgewater State University and one to Stonehill College.
Looking at this list of valedictorians there should be an immediate sense of pride and accomplishment along with a renewed confidence in the American tradition of opening its door to immigrants and giving them an opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately, there are still far too many in our midst who look at the list and immediately wonder whether these stars have the proper documentation, whether their parents snuck over the border years ago and whether this country is far too lax in cracking down on those who are here illegally.
I would hope that we here in Massachusetts choose to accent the opportunity and excellence option regarding our immigrant population rather than cloud our minds with suspicion and resentment about those who come from far different lands and cultures.
We are a nation at a crossroads regarding immigrants in this country. On the one hand there are the thorny political issues such as amnesty, citizenship, English as the national language and the financial obligations put upon state and local governments by the undocumented and their children. But there are other issues that are too often pushed to the background, such as what immigrants bring to this country in terms of energy, hard work, discipline, creativity and the old fashioned dream of making it in this country.
When you look around at our hospitals, our software companies, our bio tech firms and our life sciences industries, it is akin to the United Nations with young minds from all over the world making this state a center of innovation and growing prosperity. There is no doubt in my mind that without these immigrants, Massachusetts would be economically weaker, technologically sub-standard and scientifically wanting.
Because these immigrants bring so much to the economic “table” of Massachusetts, it is a no brainer that we need to increase our immigrant population here in the commonwealth. That means not only expanding the number of visas that permit skilled workers to come to this country, but also to put to rest the silly arguments about whether the state should give public college tuition opportunities to kids who came here with illegal parents as babies and lived for most of their lives as Americans. Thankfully, the Obama administration has ended the witch hunt policies that track down and deport high school students with enormous promise just to send them back to a country they know little about.
What we need in this state and this country is a return to hard-nosed practicality and fundamental pragmatism. The discussion about young immigrants should not start with misplaced outrage about whether they or their parents are here illegally, but rather what they bring to the economy and the future employment needs of our industries. Right now Massachusetts can ill afford to reject or place in visa limbo highly talented and determined young men and women.
Sure there are people here illegally who are criminals. They should be tracked down and sent back where they came from. But right now there is far too much emphasis being placed on the problems associated with immigration rather than the economic benefits that derive from youthful immigrants.
What we do need in this immigration debate is a reaffirmation of the American tradition of opening up our doors to those who want to improve their lives and are willing to do the work to make their dream come true. Those eighteen Boston Public School valedictorians are proof that our future may very well be in the hands of new arrivals from distant lands.
Michael Kryzanek is executive director of the Center for International Engagement at Bridgewater State University. He can be reached on Twitter@MikeKryzanek
