Local Opinion: Juan Ciscomani’s forgotten “American Dream”

Juan Ciscomani has made his family’s immigrant story a cornerstone of his campaign for Congress. Time and again we hear about the “American Dream” and how the parents of first-generation immigrants struggled as working-class citizens, only to provide a better life for their children and future generations.

Ciscomani has provided a glimpse into the past, but he only provides surface-level information when it comes to their immigrant story. How did his father come here? Did he cross the border with a visa? Was he sponsored by a family member? How long did he have to wait to immigrate? Did he benefit from Ronald Reagan’s amnesty? These are important questions that should be addressed when someone makes immigration one of the primary bases for their political campaign.

Bottom line: What was his father’s lottery ticket to the United States? Immigration is very much a lottery. Some people luck out and others don’t.

Ciscomani is now vowing to protect the “American Dream.” He uses the current border “crisis” as a springboard to argue that the “American Dream” is dying. But is it really? The people who are coming to the U.S. border today are primarily seeking the same dream that his father and other immigrants have sought: economic opportunity, escaping violence, a better life for themselves and their children. This rhetoric being spread by Ciscomani is the same xenophobic talk that went on when his family immigrated to the U.S. and when my family immigrated from Germany in 1948.

In response to the question, “What are two things you most want Congress to do to impact immigration or border security in the U.S.?” by Tara Kavaler from the Arizona Republic, Ciscomani made it clear that we “need to secure our border” before we do anything else on immigration.

That answer doesn’t give any idea what will solve our immediate problems: What are we going to do with DACA recipients? The same political party that Ciscomani is part of is trying to end DACA and it’s coming perilously close to being stopped. Is that a logical move when businesses in all industries are struggling across the country to find enough workers? It will cause more instability in our country at a time where we need to be stabilizing our economy and security.

When will the border be “secure,” Ciscomani? What metrics are you basing this on? What about all the undocumented immigrants who are languishing inside the U.S. waiting for change for the past three decades? What about all the businesses who need the foreign labor and drive the constant flow of border crossers daily? Unless Congress acts immediately on many aspects of immigration, not just border security, we are not going to see any significant change that will benefit the United States and our collective “American Dream.” Waiting on the border being secured will take years and might never be fully accomplished.

Like Ciscomani, I am a first-generation immigrant as my mother, Gloria, came to the United States after World War II. Her parents were working class and eventually she was able to obtain a college education and benefit from the privilege of being an American. But one thing she has never forgotten is where she came from. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Ciscomani. His rhetoric makes it clear that he is very proud of the dream he has now accomplished because his father was one of the lucky ones. That’s all fine and good, but don’t forget about everyone else trying to achieve the same goals.

Be true to yourself, Juan. It’s a bit disingenuous to share only part of the immigrant dream. The public should know the full story about your family and their immigration history.