My paternal grandfather, Hanz Rudolph Joseph, fled Nazi Germany in 1937. He left Germany carrying a passport emblazoned with a swastika and stamped with a large red “J,” placed there by the Nazi government to clearly identify him as a Jew. The United States initially denied him entrance, a reflection of the pre-WWII American public’s concern about the economic impact of increased immigration. As a result of the U.S.’s decision, he spent two years in Cuba awaiting a visa. He was granted entrance to the U.S. in 1939. Rudolph Joseph went on to serve for nine years in the U.S. military. He fought for the United States. He loved the United States.
My maternal grandfather, Laszlo Ishtvan Ronai, fled Communist Hungary in 1956. In 1941, fifteen years before he left Hungary, the Nazi Government imprisoned him in a labor camp, as his background as an engineer and his physical fitness made him “useful” to the war effort. The less “useful” members of my family were sent to a ghetto. He survived World War II only to see his country occupied again in 1945, this time by the USSR. After the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Laszlo Ronai came to the United States. He started a business here. He raised a family here. He quickly became an American citizen. He loved the United States.
Recently an old high school friend texted me in support of the ban on travel from seven predominantly-Muslim countries. When I asked him why he supported such a ban, he explained that he thought we needed to “take drastic measures” to “make some necessary changes” to “keep our country safe.” When I asked why blanket bans on specific countries were “necessary,” he stated that it was to prevent the immigration of “compromised individuals.”
I wonder if my German grandfather would have been categorized as “compromised” when he emigrated from Nazi Germany? I wonder if my Hungarian grandfather would have been categorized as “compromised” when he emigrated from Communist Hungary during the Cold War? I wonder if my parents would have ever met. I wonder if I would be alive today.
It is reductive, ineffective and flat-out discriminatory to only use nation of origin when making immigration decisions. An individual is so much more than his nation of origin. In many instances, these refugees are incredibly talented, possessing advanced degrees and skill sets that would benefit our country and economy. In almost every instance, they are at the very least incredibly motivated. Skilled or not, they bring grit and entrepreneurial enthusiasm to a society built on these traits.
It goes against basic economic theory and, more importantly, common human decency to deny legal immigrants entry based only on their nation of origin. These are human beings, complete with faces, families and dreams. We, as Americans, cannot view ourselves as exceptional if we do not behave in such a manner. We, as Americans, cannot look out on the Statue of Liberty with pride, while ignoring its message: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Joseph is a supply chain management and Plan II senior from Dunwoody, Georgia.
