Sunday, March 4, 2007

the Immigrants, pt. 3 (the Interview)

Amir is my brother-in-law. He is a Tunisian, and one of my favourite people on earth. He was asked to leave the US in 2004, a month after my other sister's wedding. He has been trying ever since then to come back, and despite some genuinely horrible encounters with the biggest bitch at the INS, having the validity of his marriage come into question, being sujected to the ignorance of people who would assume the worst of him because of his language and his looks, and the constant red tape of the world's biggest buearacracy, his biggest dream is still to be able to come home to America. I asked him why the other day, in the form of the following questions:

What do you think the American Dream is, generally speaking? Do you think it is a valid concept?

"The American Dream is all about opportunity. I think this concept is true because you can achieve your dreams."

What would you say your version of the American Dream is?

"The specific version to me is, if you have the will and if you are a hardworker and you love what your doing, you will succeed in the States. What I like about it too is out of nothing you can become something."

Why is America your first choice for a place to live?

"Because I feel it's like my second home. There is freedom of speech, a lot of outdoor activities (and indoor) and you just live with a peace of mind. Plus there are a lot of opportunities and it's a land of immigrants."

List the top five flaws and benefits of living in America/being an American citizen.

Benefits

1. Freedom
2. Success
3. Fun
4. Opportunities
5. Respect

Flaws

1. Bills
2. Being far away from my family
3. Racist confrontations
4. Too much negative media (example: Dr Phil, Oprah, the news)
5. No nationwide health insurance


Amir's visa was finally approved last fall. My sister came to visit with her daughter Nadia this Christmas, as we celebrated joyfully that she would soon be able to come home. My family has been going through this alongside my sister for three years, and it has been hanging like a subconscious cloud over our heads, broken through only by rays of sunlight in the form of my faithful optimism of our mother.

In January, my sister called me crying at three in the morning to tell me that the embassy had gotten a cable from the State Dept., putting a permanent halt on their authority to issue visas. Before the halt, their counselor estimated their wait time for the visa itself at about two weeks. After the cable, she had no estimate at all. Concurrently, I put a halt on both my acknowledgement of God and the American government until the halt was lifted.

A week or so later, the State Department amended their preious statement to say that the visas who had already been approved would still be valid. It's going to take months longer, but Amir should still eventually get his visa. I've let up on my God embargo, but America is still on shaky ground in my book. It just seems like an awful lot to go through for the privilege of living in America. But it seems to be worth it, at least to Amir. And on that note, it's worth it to me as well, because if there were a million more like Amir in America, I think I would be happier with it as a whole. To me, he is as much and more of an American than all past season American Idol winners. I hope his dream comes true, not just because he deserves it, but because it would do a lot for mine as well.

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