What it means “to go back”
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
What rights does the 1st Amendment grant?
The freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government are protected by the 1st Amendment.
What it means to complain?
To complain is to "express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something."
What it means to protest?
To protest is to "express an objection to what someone has said or done."
The definition of protest is quite similar to the definition of to complain, and the right to peacefully protest is protected by our Constitution.
President Trump has once again raised the question whether immigrants and their descendants have the right to complain about or criticize America.
According to the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land, they do. The 1st Amendment grants us the right to complain about how America is being run. Many would argue that complaining about the state of affairs in the United States is in fact patriotic. The fact that those citizens choose to complain and protest shows that they care enough about this country to make it better for themselves and others. The Women's Suffrage Movement started out with a group of women complaining at the Seneca Falls Convention why women are not guaranteed the same Constitutional rights as men.
President Trump has suggested that black, Latina and Muslim congresswomen critical of his policies should “go back” to “the totally broken and crime infested” countries “from which they came,” even though all but one of the lawmakers he has been attacking were born in the United States. Unfortunately, President Trump’s attack against four Democratic members of Congress fits a pattern in U.S. politics.The idea that immigrants and their descendants should either accept America as it is, or “go home” is reminiscent of attacks made against other groups a century ago. In fact there is hardly any ethnic or racial group in the country that hasn’t been told to go back where they came from.
President Trump has suggested that black, Latina and Muslim congresswomen critical of his policies should “go back” to “the totally broken and crime infested” countries “from which they came,” even though all but one of the lawmakers he has been attacking were born in the United States. Unfortunately, President Trump’s attack against four Democratic members of Congress fits a pattern in U.S. politics.The idea that immigrants and their descendants should either accept America as it is, or “go home” is reminiscent of attacks made against other groups a century ago. In fact there is hardly any ethnic or racial group in the country that hasn’t been told to go back where they came from.
In the late 18th Century, Irish Catholic immigrants were subjected to such attacks due to their advocacy for the separation of public education and the Protestant church. Nativists argued that immigrants and their descendants demonstrated a lack of gratitude to the country that took them in if they sought to change the laws of the United States. Immigrants, their American-born children and their elected representatives were essentially informed that if they didn’t like the United States the way it was, they could keep quiet or return to where they “came from”. Following the Irish, the hostile reaction extended to a surge of new arrivals in the 1840s from Germany.They were seen as not just competing for jobs but were also perceived as a threat to the social and political order. German immigrants were stereotyped as susceptible to criminality and drunkenness and loyal to the Pope in Rome.
In the 1970s, the political focal point was the influx of Mexicans and other Spanish-speaking populations due to liberal immigration laws. Pressure for changing the immigration laws grew as the new arrivals were once again viewed as a social, cultural and political challenge. Many of the same arguments made against previous generations of immigrants were lodged against Hispanics.
President Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" implies that America is not great. His entire presidential campaign centered around what is wrong with the country and was characterized by the message that America is at a terrible place. Fareed Zakaria expressed, "Donald Trump was singular, almost unique as a presidential candidate in just constantly trashing America...We're losing out to everybody. Everybody's treating us badly. His inaugural address talked about American carnage."
Immigration formed the foundation of America. Other than Native Americans, all American citizens are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants. President Trump's own grandfather was a German immigrant.
At face value President Trump claims that the Squad hates America because they criticize his policies, so they should go back to where they "came from". Perhaps the President has not considered that if the squad of AOC, Omar, Tlaib and Pressely are considered disloyal to the United Sates simply because of their criticism of American institutions, then President Trump would also be considered disloyal to the USA.
The members of the Squad have only sworn allegiance to one country, and that is the United States. Their rights are protected by the Constitution and they have as much right as any other American citizen to express their beliefs. It is clear that fear of the unknown has once again permeated the political arena. Immigrants contribute immensely to the U.S.A. The Representatives in the Squad chose to serve the U.S.A as Congressional representatives and have contributed to the dialogue in Washington D.C. Yet, their loyalty to the United States is questioned as we once again allow fear to dictate American politics. Perhaps it is time to once again brush up our history, because when history is forgotten then it is bound to be repeated.
