Racially and ethnically speaking, I’m truly a global human — Irish, Black, Anglo, Native American, Italian… all that and more. My father always said that our family was “Heinz 57,” like the brand of steak sauce supposedly made of 57 zesty ingredients. Good enough for me!
A great strength of America is our mixed population, continuously fueled by generations of immigrants coming as refugees. Consider the typical story of 16-year-old Friedrich, who fled his tiny German village, where he faced a dreary future of poverty. Arriving in Manhattan in 1885 with no money and little education, he was nonetheless greeted by America’s open immigration policy and welcomed into citizenship. Friedrich soon prospered, eventually opening hotels and taverns.
And — God Bless America — only three generations later, Friedrich Trump’s grandson became President of the U.S.A.!
Alas, though, Grandbaby Donald would not even have let Friedrich in. Indeed, Donald denigrates and has ruthlessly shut out penniless refugees like his grandfather, though such migrants are now more likely to be named Federico and come from Latin America. Trump especially hates a process he calls “chain migration,” whereby American citizens can obtain U.S. residency for their foreign relatives. “They bring their whole family with them,” Trump repeatedly rants. “NOT ACCEPTABLE!” he barked in a recent Twitter tantrum.
But — psst — guess who just set aside his immigrant-bashing tantrums long enough to benefit his own family? Yes, The Donald. In August, the Slovenian parents of Trump’s immigrant wife, Melania, quietly became American citizens through the “chain migration” process their son-in-law so loudly denounces as “not acceptable.”
In TrumpWorld, integrity and consistency aren’t virtues. All that matters is, “What’s in it for me right now.”
This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.
