In today’s world, we think that our worldly possessions equal our value. We think that value is a measured by currency. The new car we bought, or the one we are saving to buy; the clothes we wear, the house we live in. But, in reality, what I have learned from the non-

citizens who have come before the immigration courts, is that real value is measured by things that are free. Things that have no monetary price tag; things that you can’t buy in a store. As humans, we are all the same at our very core and we yearn for things like family, love, freedom and compassion. All these are essential to our well-being, but I want to talk about compassion for a moment.

Compassion, lets us see ourselves in others. Every time I saw a respondent in immigration court, I had the ability to see myself. As they shared their stories, stories about how they wanted to provide a better life for their children, being a mother myself, I could relate to how they felt. It was very much a part of my own core values. My parents came to this country in search of attaining their dreams, dreams that were placed inside their hearts. They wanted to feel significant, and they found their way through education here in the United States. They found opportunities here, that they couldn’t find in their native countries. And today, I stand as a testament to what dreams can become. The daughter of immigrants, can have a voice, an education, and a career. I’m not alone, there are so many like me, who are the product of our parent’s dreams. And even though not everyone is a first or second generation American, there are third, fourth, and twenty fifth generation Americans who feel the same basic human need – to find significance.

Yet, we call them alien. They are flesh and blood, filled with the same desires and human instincts as all of us. Alien, it’s just a self-serving word, meant to fill us with reasons to hate. I have spent a lot of time with these respondents, listened, for hours, to their stories, their cries for mercies, and in the end I have concluded that we are all human, and if we are all human, then no part of me, or any human can be alien. So next time you are face to face with someone who looks different, or speaks another language, I hope you can find compassion in your heart to give them a chance.