Where does ‘America first’ stop?

About 200 Iowans gathered outside the local offices of their congressional representatives. The people protested the deportation of Pascual Pedro and the ICE arrest of Noel Lopez. A young (white) man sped by the crowd on a scooter and shouted, “Send ‘em all back where they came from!” Heartless as well as ignorant.

OK, let’s say we deport all immigrants. In this “America First” era, what comes next? The president already wants to ditch birthright citizenship. The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the US. Even those whose parents are not U.S. citizens. Birthright citizenship, although firmly planted in the Constitution, is somehow up for debate.

Why stop there? What about everyone whose ancestors were not born in the U.S.? Why not go back centuries to the founders of the first European colonies? They weren’t Americans.

Would you want to be deported to your ancestral homeland? What about those of us with mixed heritage? Where would I end up? Germany? Ireland? Switzerland? Denmark? Could you even speak the language? Maybe not. Still, we expect everyone who immigrates here to “speak goddamn English!”

What about the millions of Americans whose ancestors were kidnapped and sold as property in this country? Do we round them all up and dump them on Africa’s west coast?

We seem so keen on expelling immigrants. Well, why don’t the more than 321 million of us whose ancestors immigrated here just go? Let’s finally return America to the true Americans.

Gordie Felger

Hiawatha