Dear President,

   Whoever you are, I am sure you are white, which is cool. But I hope you understand that as the president of these 50 states, you are obligated to look out for everyone no matter their income, sexual orientation, political views, criminal past, religious preferences, where they come from, their ideas, and most important of all, the colour of their skin. You must also keep in mind that this country was not founded by Christopher Columbus, but inhabited by and savagely taken from Native Americans, which emphasizes that this is an immigrant nation by definition. Similarly, this country was also built upon the backs of slaves. Without them the United States would have never developed in the way that it has. They were immigrants, but they didn't come here by choice. African slaves were forced onto this land. Upon their arrival, they were given the responsibility of developing the southern economy by ensuring that plantations provided those crops necessary to produce those goods which Americans required.

    Now in modern day America, we seem to be confused about who really made this country what it is today. If you are the one that wants the wall that will prevent immigrants from entering the United States because they are ‘Un-American,' here to steal jobs, rape people and bring drugs and crime to our country, you are very much mistaken. An American is not necessarily somebody born and bred on this soil. An American is anybody who comes into this country with a plan to better themselves. Whether that be by trying to get a better education, escape tyrannical governments, or give their children a better chance at becoming more successful because of the infinite amount of opportunities there are here. An American is somebody who has a goal, a dream, and works hard to fulfill it. As the President of the United States, I hope you realize this and put in place laws and comprehensive immigration reforms that will pave the way to full and equal citizenship. Family detentions and private immigrant detention centers should all be closed and you should help more eligible people become naturalized in order to make it possible for people from other places to come here and make a life for themselves.  At the end of the day, without immigrants, we would not be what we are today.

Sincerely,

Taira Rice