A lot of times when people are waiting to see an attorney that have to wait quite a while, many of them tell me their immigration stories while waiting. I think that it is so interesting to see the different experiences people have in the US in comparison to their native country. One story I found quite interesting was a girl who had come here at the age of three with her family and illegally remained in the US. In a sense she was raised in the US, went to school here, all of her friends were here, and she did not even speak her native language. After she was caught by immigration, they threatened to deport her, but it seems quite unfair because she was an American. Every morning in school she recited the pledge of allegiance, she knew the star spangled banner by heart, she knew the history of the country, and was raised American just as any other child in the US is. It kind of baffled me to even think about being forced to leave the US by force, because I identify myself as an American, just as she does. Cases such as these are so difficult, because it was not the girls fault. So I asked myself what constitutes an American? Is it their passport or their allegiance? I believe that it is their allegiance, but the other side is also very important, but by no means the sole way to be labelled as an American... Just something to think about!
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