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Immigration today has changed a lot from years ago
(by Luigi Luciano - October 18, 2007)
Immigration today is nothing like it was years ago. Before allowing just about anyone into this country you had to go through a lot to have the privilege to come to America. Today it is expected that you can come here legal or not.
We have the Governor of New York allowing immigrants to get a driver’s license without being legal. We have illegal immigrants protesting they have rights. People are flowing in like sewer water. They just keep coming in by the millions we do nothing at all about it.
What a crazy world. Read the stories below about Seymour a real life immigrant and what he had to go through in 1920 and Juan who if coming here in 2007 had to go through. Read on to see the contrasting stories of how coming to America has changed. After each paragraph of Seymour’s story is Juan’s story.
Seymour Rechtzeit was born in Lódz, Poland, in 1912. His family is Jewish, and he first began singing at his temple. By the time he was four, he was called wunderkind, or wonder child in English. Soon he was singing in concerts all over Poland.
Juan was a dedicated family man and very hard worker in his country.
Seymour’s family decided that he should come to America, where there would be more opportunities for him. He had an uncle in America, and he sent two tickets for his father and himself. The rest of his family stayed in Poland. The plan was that he and his father would make enough money to bring them to America, too.
Juan decided that he wanted to come to America to better his family. His Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were all here in America illegally and living a pretty good life. The rest of Juan’s family stayed back until he could send enough money to get them across.
Seymour came here on a big boat across the Atlantic Ocean. It may sound like fun, but it wasn't. The two-week trip was miserable! The room was in steerage, way down in the bottom of the boat. It was lined with bunks, one on top of the other. It was uncomfortable and crowded.
They hit many bad storms at sea. It rained hard, and he was wet and shivering. By the time they sailed into New York Harbor past the Statue of Liberty, he had a very bad cold. Still, he was up on deck, in his good white suit, cheering along with everyone else at the awesome sight of the statue.
Juan paid a runner to bring him and his brother across the border illegally. The trip took hours and was exhausting. They could see America or at least Texas from a distance. They could not cheer for fear of being caught.
Back in Seymour’s day, immigrants had to pass a medical examination to be allowed to enter the country. Many people were sent back to where they came from. He was eight years old and he was ill. He didn't know what was going to happen to him in America.
At Ellis Island, his father, who was not sick, had to leave the ship. He stood in long lines and officials asked him lots of questions about where he came from, what he did for a living back in Poland, and what his plans were in America. All newcomers had to answer those questions. Only then could you leave Ellis Island and take a ferry to New York — and finally set foot in America.
The runners asked questions of Juan like did he need any fake Id’s. The only way to get them was to pay the runner who would take them to an area to purchase them.
When the doctor examined Seymour, he discovered he had a cold. He said he could not go with his father. He cried and begged. He was terrified to be all alone in this strange place.
Seymour stayed on Ellis Island for a few days, until he was feeling better. He had no toys with him. But there were other sick boys to keep him company. Some of them spoke Yiddish, his language. They ate in a huge dining room. The food was different — it was American style. But it was good, especially the milk.
When Juan was dropped off at his final destination he ate the same foods he did from his own country. He was amazed how things in America looked exactly like back home.
Seymour’s cold went away, and soon the officials told him that his father and uncle were coming to get him. As he stepped off the boat from Ellis Island, he felt a rush of joy. All around him were hundreds of families greeting their relatives, welcoming them to America.
Once dropped off in America, Juan met many people he knew from his home country and they laughed and talked about old times.
That was the beginning of Seymour’s new life in New York. Right away he started singing in concerts and making money to help bring the rest of his family to America. He sang in school, too. He sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "The Star-Spangled Banner." He learned quickly.
Seymour soon became a child star of vaudeville. That's a kind of entertainment in which actors sing and tell stories. He was very popular because he was a kid. He traveled from place to place to entertain.
Juan worked hard. He landed a job working for a famous actress as a gardener. He was moving up in the world. He met his future wife while working who also came here illegally and they got married. When Juan got sick he was grateful that he can go to the local hospital and get free treatment where legal citizens have to pay.
In a few years Seymour had made enough money to bring his mother, brothers, and sisters to America. But he faced a new problem. It was 1924, and not as many immigrants were being allowed into America. His family could not get permission to come. How would he be a family again?
His voice was the ticket that would bring my family to America. A congressman, who had heard him sing, arranged for him to come to Washington, D.C., and perform for leaders at the U.S. Capitol.
Once Juan was here for a period of time and working off the books because he was not legal he saved enough money to send for more family members. Juan stated, “if I had to pay income tax I would never be able to afford to bring other family members over to America. I love this country.”
The politicians liked Seymour and wanted to help. They got him an invitation to sing for President Calvin Coolidge in the White House! That did it. After he sang, he met the President. He shook his hand and told him that he sang well. He said he'd help get his mother, brothers, and sisters to America so they would be a family again!
Juan even got involved with politics. He took to the streets of Texas to protest the new immigration laws that the American government wanted to impose on him and other illegal’s. He held signs that it is his right to want a better life and should not be thrown out of this country. He even got to see President Bush through a fence at the ranch during one of his protest marches.
Many wonderful things happened to Seymour in America. He kept singing as a young man and became a star of Yiddish Theater. He appeared on stage and made many records. He met his wife, Miriam Kressyn, who was also a singer and an immigrant. Her family came through Ellis Island too. They were married for 43 years.
Many wonderful things happened for Juan in America. Juan and his wife had children and were grateful that their children were going to get an American education at the tax payer’s expense. They were even happier that none of them had to learn English because almost everything they need to know was written in Spanish as well as English. They even had teachers teaching them in Spanish. Juan though, “life is good here in America. I work hard, pay no taxes, get free medical care and I don’t even have to learn the language.” He was even happier when he was able to bring the rest of his family over illegally and didn’t have to go through all that legal process that takes so long.
Seymour went back to Europe, traveling as an actor, but he never returned to Poland. He has always been very happy to be in this wonderful country.
Juan never went back to his home country but he kept wiring money through Western Union to other family members in hopes they would be able to come to this great country America the same way he did.
Now you try and tell me that nothing is wrong with this country.
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