Sharanitha Sampath
My support for the immigrant community stems from my experiences as an immigrant. I came to the U.S when I was four, and I consider myself American just as much as I consider myself Indian. I know the struggles many of these families face because of the complicated and unfair immigration process. My family has been stuck in this process for 16 years. I have missed the funerals of many of my grandparents and relatives. I have missed out on crucial familial relationships, all because I don’t have a little piece of paper saying I’m a permanent resident. If I left the country, I face the chance of not coming back to what is now my home. Our family has adapted to the American culture, and we are law-abiding citizens, yet the media portrays the few rotten eggs in the immigrant community. This unfairness is also represented by our colleges and universities who rarely offer scholarships to non-citizens. This nation was built on the backs of immigrants who came to this country in the hopes of a brighter future. I only hope the path to that future becomes more accessible for all those who seek it.
The Butterfly postcard campaign was developed by the UIC Latino Cultural Center in collaboration with student organizations Fearless Undocumented Alliance and Heritage Garden Student Group that highlights the parallels between the migration of people and Monarch butterflies across national borders.