The 'wall' is the antithesis of the American Revolution

To The Daily Sun,

Immigration is the hallmark of American History — from the first settlers from the European continent to the present immigration patterns we face today. Immigration led to multiple advancements in technology, the development of the Industrial Revolution to the current high technology of today.

The picture of the so-called illegal immigration is not unlike the original immigration patterns of early colonial America as well as the great migrations in the early 1900s. They are identical. Let's take a look at this.

Original colonists came to America to avoid religious persecution, various crimes against humanity, or as a way to move forward in a new land. Such is also the same that happened in the early 1900s when Irish, Italian, French, Greek, and many other mid-eastern countries migrated here. A large influx took place during the Second World War when the Jewish and Polish populations came here to avoid the massacres of Hitler and Nazi Germany. There was also another migration when black citizens, formerly slaves moved north to seek better employment opportunities. Even today, the blacks still have a hard time thanks to some narrow-minded, bigoted whites. Asians are also a part of this immigration picture.

Immigrants from South and Central American countries are also trying to escape the brutal and cruel regimes of corrupt and disastrous political and economic issues, seeking in America, the same opportunities so many of our ancestors sought.

Today's immigrant situation is an embarrassment to the American people. Here we have people moving away from the harsh realities of their existence, families destroyed by the gang-like warfare in these countries, along with the rapidly growing opioid and substance drugs that impact on our nation's cities today. There is one thing that has yet to happen. There has not been an event that parallels the Boston Tea Party. We had a revolution against this. These immigrants have not. The "Wall" is the antithesis of the American Revolution. Both Republicans and Democrats have failed to address this shameful time in American history.

American Indians, the original settlers, were brutally mistreated comparable to what's happening on the southern border. The reservations are a defacto form of a concentration camp. Custer was not the hero he is made out to be. In the name of profit, these American tribes were slowly and viciously regulated to "reservations."  Today, they are attacked by "Big Oil," again in the name of profit. Human life is not held sacred. This is a grossly disrespected, desecrated quality of life, and a culture that were here many centuries before the first "illegal immigrants" to arrive in this country, our founding fathers.

Even in the face of the atrocities suffered by South and Central American immigrants, the U.S. is still the only country in the world where more people try to get in, than leave. These facts can be attributed to the opportunities laid out both in terms of economic development and our Constitution. We share a common bond with these Equatorial countries. The immigrants are trying to get away from a former harsh environment, only to face similar if not worse conditions under the current White House resident. This cannot continue. Our ancestors must be rolling in their graves as this abuse of immigrants today continues. Yes, the events that led to the American Revolution, ultimately the Civil War, both World Wars continue on our own southern border. Reprehensible.

Crime? It seems every group of immigrants has its "black sheep." No one group has been exempt. We had the Irish gangs of New York. We had the Italian crime families. We had the gangs in Boston, and many inner cities, of all races. There are even gangs bringing drugs and narcotics to feed the demand by those abusing these substances. The Saudi's, of Muslim faith, attacked our Trade Centers on 9/11. The vast majority of these populations abhor these crimes and distance themselves away from these predators. The list is endless.

My next letter will discuss possible solutions to address these issues. We must remember, all of our ancestries of the past were trod upon. We need to seriously review our actions today, and hold those accountable if they do not.

Bob Joseph, Jr.

New Hampton