During this tumultuous period in global history, there is at least one thing going positively for the United States: immigration from Latin America. The relationships that are beginning to form between U.S. citizens and Latinos now living in the U.S. are essential to promoting positive global development. Although people do come to the U.S. from all parts of the world, the trend of Latino immigration seems to carry significant implications, since they are our closest geographic neighbors and share many of the lasting effects of colonization.

Our friends from the South truly want to live and work with us. They are willing to walk, hitchhike, or otherwise strategize to cover enormous distances through deserts and mountains so that they can live here and work the jobs that most U.S. citizens do not want.

Unfortunately, some of our narrow-minded political leaders and civilian vigilantes in border states are taking matters into their own hands to prevent the inflow of Latino immigrants. They are currently working to create repressive barriers that would prevent our neighbors from the South from joining us in our “great American dream.” Are Latinos not from America? How can one country make up two continents?

The entire existence of the U.S. is based on immigration. Be it by choice from Europe or Asia, or by force from Africa, nearly everyone living here today has his or her roots in another continent. How can people try to prevent Latinos from coming in masses to this “land of opportunity” when most people here now, or at least their ancestors, did the same thing? Our government cannot pick and choose who can come; this country should be open to everyone.

I feel ashamed that I only know English and a small bit of Spanish, while many people in other parts of the world know several languages. If this country is to maintain positive foreign relations, it is important that we show that we do care about the rest of the world and that we learn to communicate in other languages.

I think that every American person should be able to speak Spanish, at least to some degree, by 2010. This would enable regular U. S. citizens to feel more connected to other parts of the world and to their Spanish-speaking neighbors in the U.S.

Not only does Latino immigration provide American citizens of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds with a unique opportunity to learn a foreign language and different cultural practices, it could also provide us with desperately needed allies in a rapidly changing world.

As more and more people from the U.S. get to know people from Latin America, a stronger sense of connectedness and compassion will be shown towards that region of the world. In a modern and technologically well-connected world, people from other regions need these sorts of relationships with one another. Latino immigration gives the U.S. a unique opportunity to come together with people of other nations.

If we want to end wars of aggression, eradicate starvation and famine in the world, fight to cure deadly diseases, and eliminate greed and racism from the consciousness of all people, we must come together with people from all over the world.

This can start by granting American citizens the opportunity to personally acquaint themselves with Latinos, an opportunity made possible by immigration. Perhaps the results of this will be that someday both American continents will work as one.