Words Matter

The US Citizen and Immigration Service has changed its mission statement. It has eliminated reference to immigrants being customers and it now stresses protection of America. Words matter. It is clear that the agency has pushed the immigrant to the background while focusing on security. There wasn’t anything wrong with the old mission statement other than it was too long, as the present one is as well. Making immigrants secondary to security and preservation of American values implies that migrants infect rather than build our society. Nothing could be further from the truth. One hopes that once Trump is out of office and nativist leanings are reined in that the Service can return to its original spirit and recognize once again a nation of immigrants.