The fear among many in my community is palpable. And damaging. And perilous.
Not only to the million-plus Latinos and immigrants in Georgia, but also to all of us who believe in America and perfecting our imperfect union.
I am both, I am all.
Specifically, if you are a Latino in Georgia — or America, more broadly — you are under a heightened level of scrutiny. Whether a citizen or not, here legally or not, we have all become subject to this question of whether we belong here, in the land of the free.
Extreme? Maybe. But it is the current lived reality of hundreds of thousands of Latinos across Georgia.
- Friends who are naturalized citizens are being encouraged to have their naturalization documents on them at all times.
- Women with kids who have worked legally here with work permits have been deported.
- Latino children in Georgia, over 90% of whom are citizens, are scared to let their parents go anywhere for fear of being deported and having their family torn apart.
- School enrollment and business sales are down across the state in communities with larger Latino populations.
- Nonprofits that support Latinos across our state are being targeted by the U.S. Congress as exacerbating the border crisis and supporting “illegal aliens.”
And we know the reality cuts so much deeper. Every person with their own lived experience. Every person with a story we don’t always hear.
Our contributions to the economy and workforce participation are high
Credit: Hand
Credit: Hand
Georgia’s Latinos now comprise over 11% of the state’s population, with that number estimated to go up to over 23% by 2050.
According to the State of Latinos Georgia report released last year, Latinos’ contribution to Georgia’s gross domestic product was over $52.2 billion, and Latino men had the highest workforce participation of any demographic group by race and gender (78%).
Further, Latinos are primary labor drivers in our state’s construction, hospitality and agriculture sectors. We help build homes for new families, prepare some of your favorite foods at your favorite restaurants and grow and pick the fruits and vegetables you buy at your local supermarket.
And we also are your doctor and nurse, the scientist working on the latest discovery or maybe, like me, we are running a philanthropic foundation.
We are a rapidly growing and important part of Georgia, this country and its future.
However, when policy decisions are grounded in fear, not fact, they lead to unjust consequences. The federal government’s current policies toward immigrant communities are having a disproportionate negative impact on Latinos across the state.
Georgia is a hot spot for expanded immigration enforcement (we are fourth nationwide as of the end of June), and contrary to what we were told, federal immigration efforts have not focused on deporting serious criminals.
All Americans, including immigrants, should be treated humanely
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
It has been a broad, serrated net that has included many immigrants who were here lawfully, but whose status was rescinded overnight — tearing more and more families apart; isolating people from their homes, irrespective of their citizenship status; and causing labor shortages and price increases across the state.
Hundreds of thousands of hardworking, taxpaying Georgians damaged, sometimes irreparably.
Whether you believe in immigration reform or not, or whether undocumented U.S. residents should be able to stay or not, is for you to decide. What I ask is that as a country that believes in perfecting our imperfect union, we allow ourselves to be open to asking questions, listening and learning from one another.
Our democracy is grounded in our ability to debate these issues and decide what makes sense for our nation together. Citizenship is not a measure of one’s humanity — recognizing people as full human beings no matter the circumstances, is a matter of basic human decency.
And a bedrock American principle, I would submit, is that we respect everyone’s basic human dignity and the due process we are each entitled to, irrespective of our citizenship status.
As a member of metro Atlanta’s philanthropic community, I feel a responsibility to make our community better, to help the most vulnerable during these polarizing times. Regardless of immigration policy — and where you stand on it — we, as a community, can and should support neighbors in need and do so with care.
We cannot allow fear to drive back the better angels of our nature. To drive us to be less American.
We have lost our way. We have to find our way back.
I am Latino. I am a citizen. I believe in democracy. I believe in us. Sí se puede.
Frank Fernandez is president & CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
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