Truths, Contributions, and the Legacy You’re Not Taught in School

This country as we know it today wouldn’t exist without immigrants.

That’s not a political opinion ~ it’s a historical fact.

And yet, we live in a time where immigrants are villainized, criminalized, and erased from the narrative that they helped write.

🛑 Immigration is not just a “crisis.” It’s a consequence.

While we’re out here making noise about the immigration “problem,” let’s slow down and get clear on a few undeniable truths:

📌 1. LEGAL immigration is not easy.

It’s expensive, slow, and traumatic. Application fees, background checks, biometric appointments, medical exams, translators, attorneys, and waitlists that stretch years. Many people trying to “do it the right way” still end up stuck in limbo for a decade.

📌 2. Undocumented ≠ criminal.

Crossing borders to survive, escape violence, or feed your children is not the same as committing harm. Most immigrants are more law-abiding than native-born citizens. And guess what? The U.S. economy relies on their labor, from farms to factories to front-line healthcare.

📌 3. Emotionally? It’s hell.

Imagine leaving your country, your family, your entire identity behind; just to be treated like a villain in the place you risked everything to reach. The mental toll of fear, racism, instability, and invisibility is real. Trauma doesn’t vanish with a visa stamp.

📌 4. Financially? Immigration is an investment.

Immigrants pay taxes. They start businesses. They work jobs many won’t take. They contribute to Social Security (often without ever getting benefits). Without immigrants, America’s economy would break. Period.

📌 5. Historically? Let’s not be amnesiacs.

This country was built on stolen land, with stolen labor. The only non-immigrants are Indigenous people. Everyone else? Came from somewhere else, voluntarily or by force. So this whole “go back to where you came from” energy? Miss us with that.

Before we scream “close the border” remember who was here first. Remember who built the railroads. Picked the crops. Cleaned the houses. Raised the children. Fought the wars. Paid the taxes. Built the dreams.

This isn’t just about politics. It’s about people.

👉🏽 Stay human.

👉🏽 Stay factual.

👉🏽 Stay honest about where this country really came from.

IMMIGRATION ISN’T A CRISIS ~ IT’S A CONTRIBUTION

Immigrants:

• Clean your homes.
• Grow your food.
• Save your life in hospitals.
• Start businesses that employ locals.
• Hold up industries no one else wants to do.

They’re not “stealing” jobs.

They’re doing the jobs America refuses to acknowledge until they don’t get done.

THE COST OF “DOING IT LEGALLY”

The lie?

“Just do it the right way.”

The truth?

• Legal immigration can take 5 to 25 years
• Average cost? $10,000–$30,000+
• You need: background checks, translators, medical screenings, lawyers, proof of hardship, employment, sponsors; and luck.

Even refugees face insane red tape while fleeing for their lives.

MENTAL + EMOTIONAL TOLL

Immigrants carry:

• Fear of deportation
• Language barriers
• Cultural isolation
• Post-traumatic stress
• Generational trauma
• Constant code-switching

And still show up every day, trying to survive and belong.

Let’s talk about immigration. No politics. Just people.

Immigration isn’t a “them” issue. It’s a human issue.

And right now, too many are yelling louder than they’re listening.

Here’s what’s really going on:

🧾 Legally immigrating to the U.S. is nearly impossible for many.

It’s not just “get in line.” That line can take 5–25 years, depending on where you’re from.

It can cost $10,000–$30,000+ in legal fees, translations, documents, interviews, delays, and denials. All while trying to survive.

💸 Many undocumented immigrants still pay taxes.

Billions go into Social Security from people who will never collect.

Many pay rent, sales tax, property tax through rent, and contribute to local economies every single day.

🧠 Mentally, it’s a constant state of survival.

You’re never fully safe. You live afraid of ICE. Afraid of getting sick. Afraid of being exploited.

You speak in whispers, work in the shadows, love your family fiercely… and are still labeled a threat.

💔 Emotionally? It’s heartbreaking.

Being told you don’t belong when all you’re doing is trying to stay alive, raise your kids, or make a better life… is crushing.

Especially in a country that was built on immigration and stolen land.

📚 History check:

This land? Indigenous.

This economy? Built on enslaved labor and immigrants.

This country? Founded by colonizers who immigrated here with violence, not visas.

So before you talk about “border control” or “illegals,” ask yourself:

🔹 Would you risk your life if it meant saving your child’s?

🔹 Would you work under the table if it meant your mom could get her medicine?

🔹 Would you leave everything you know just for a chance to survive?

Because that’s what millions of people are doing.

👣 This isn’t about red or blue.

This is about who we choose to be as humans.

Do we lead with fear?

Or do we remember we’ve all been strangers somewhere?

🗣 Drop a flag, a memory, or a story if you or your family came from somewhere else 🇲🇽🇭🇳🇸🇻🇬🇹🇵🇭🇻🇳🇳🇬🇨🇺🇮🇳🇨🇴🇰🇪🇵🇷🇩🇴

Let’s make the comments a space for TRUTH, not fear.

THIS LAND WAS NEVER YOURS TO GATEKEEP

Let’s be clear:

• Native people were here first.
• The land was stolen.
• Black people were enslaved to build the economy.
• Immigrants were exploited to expand it.

This isn’t “your” country.

It was taken.

It was built by force.

It was never just yours.

WHO REALLY BUILT AMERICA?

• Chinese immigrants built railroads.
• Black labor built the South.
• Latinx workers built the agriculture system.
• Caribbean nurses rebuilt the healthcare system.
• Muslim engineers restructured IT and transportation.

Immigrants don’t take; they create.

key statistics and trends on immigration in the U.S.:

📊 Overall Numbers

• The foreign‑born population reached 47.8 million in 2023; about 14.3% of the total U.S. population (≈ 1 in 7 residents)  .
• By January 2025, estimates place the number at 53.3 million, making up roughly 15.8% of the U.S. population; both record highs  .
• Of that, around 11.99 million were unauthorized immigrants in 2022 (~3% of the total population, ~23% of foreign‑born)  .

👥 Labor Force & Economy

• Immigrant workers totaled 31.7 million in January 2025; accounting for 19.6% of all workers, a rise of 83% since 2000  .
• A significant majority (≈ 66%) of unauthorized immigrants have lived in the U.S. for over 10 years, embedding them deeply in communities  .
• As of today, 19% of the U.S. labor force is foreign‑born .

🛂 Recent Trends & Policy Impacts

• Net migration surged by about 2.8 million from 2023 to 2024, making up 84% of U.S. population growth during that period  .
• However, in 2025, stricter enforcement is likely to reverse that trend, economists warn the U.S. may lose more immigrants than it gains for the first time in ~50 years  .
• This shift is contributing to labor shortages in farming, construction, hospitality, and food processing  .
• Immigration is projected to drop to ~500,000 new arrivals in 2025, down from a pre-pandemic average of 1 million, possibly slowing GDP growth by ~0.1%  .

🌍 Immigration Flow & Border Encounters

• Border apprehensions have declined sharply: 7,181 in March 2025 (a 95% drop YoY) and 8,347 in February (down 94% YoY) a sign of decreased inflow to border crossers  .

🧠 Context & Long‑Term Significance

• The U.S. today has the largest immigrant population in absolute numbers globally  .
• Immigration drives nearly all population growth, especially as birth rates fall, recent immigration accounts for ~84% of growth  .
• Immigrants and their U.S.-born children now represent over 28% of the national population  .

✅ What This Means

• The U.S. labor force heavily depends on immigrants, both legal and undocumented.
• Tightening immigration could lead to persistent labor gaps and price shocks in essential sectors.
• Policy shifts in 2025 may mark a historic pivot from net gain to net loss in immigration.
• This reversal could slow economic growth and reshape labor demographics.

IMMIGRANT INNOVATIONS YOU USE DAILY

Innovator	Country	Invention
Elon Musk	South Africa	Tesla, SpaceX
Sergey Brin	Russia	Google
Jan Koum	Ukraine	WhatsApp
Har Gobind Khorana	India	Genetic code decoding
Albert Sabin	Poland	Oral polio vaccine
Andrew Grove	Hungary	Intel Chips
Vic Hayes	Netherlands	Wi-Fi groundwork

You use immigrant innovations every day, and probably take them for granted. That’s just a few people!

NATIVE BLOOD + IMMIGRANT COMPASSION

“I have Native blood in me. My kids and I carry those features.

And yet, I still support immigrants. Why? Because the land was never meant to be hoarded.

It was meant to be honored.

Gatekeeping doesn’t honor ancestors, compassion does.

I have Native blood running through my veins. And I carry it with pride.

My kids and I? You can see it in our features.

Our cheekbones. Our skin. Our spirit.

Our ancestors didn’t just live here…

They were here first.

They are the land.

So when people start yelling about “outsiders” and “immigrants ruining this country”…

Let me be crystal clear:

💥 I’m not mad at immigrants. I’m mad at amnesia.

Because while folks are arguing about who belongs here,

My people were hunted, removed, erased.

And now, some of the same voices that built this country on colonization are gatekeeping the borders like they created the keys.

Let’s not pretend we forgot:

🌎 The only true natives to this land are Indigenous.

🧱 The country was built by stolen people and immigrant hands.

🛠️ The economy is held up by labor no one wants to talk about.

So yes, I have Native blood.

And yes, still believe in dignity, humanity, and opportunity.

For the ones running toward freedom,

Not from it.

You don’t have to erase anyone to make space for someone else.

That’s what real community looks like.

✨ Drop a heart if your roots run deep.

🌍 Drop a flag if your family came from somewhere else.

💬 Drop a comment if you believe compassion and culture can coexist.

Let’s talk like humans; not headlines.

The America you know? Was built by immigrants. Period. 🇺🇸

From the roads we drive on

To the crops we eat

To the homes we live in

To the babies we raise

Immigrants did that.

Generation after generation.

🧱 Laid the bricks.

🪓 Broke the ground.

🧼 Cleaned the floors.

👩🏽‍⚕️ Saved lives.

📚 Taught the kids.

🧠 Built the tech.

🚀 Sent rockets to space.

The U.S. didn’t just welcome immigrants.

We depend on them.

Still do.

So before you go off about who “belongs here,”

You better check the receipts.

📌 This land? Stolen from Indigenous peoples.

📌 This economy? Built on the backs of the enslaved, the colonized, and the undocumented.

📌 This “greatness”? Funded by the sweat of people who weren’t even allowed to vote.

Respect the labor.

Respect the legacy.

Respect the truth.

🗣️ This land belongs to immigrants too.

They bled for it. They built it.

And they’re still holding it up today.

🔥 Learn it.

📚 Know it.

👀 Understand it.

🙌 Acknowledge it.

🫶🏽 RESPECT it.

💬 Invite someone who needs this reminder.

🧬 Drop your roots in the comments; where’s your family from?

Let’s talk about who really made this country what it is.

THIS LAND BELONGS TO IMMIGRANTS, TOO

Respect what immigrants have given:

• Their labor
• Their lives
• Their culture
• Their taxes
• Their children’s future

You don’t have to lose anything to make room for someone else.

The table’s big enough. You just have to stop hoarding the seats.

You like Wi-Fi, Google, and electric cars?

Cool. Thank an immigrant. 💡📱🚀

Let’s be real:

Immigrants didn’t just build this country; they innovated it.

Here are just a few of the game-changers brought to you by people who weren’t born here… but helped shape everything:

🔥 Elon Musk (South Africa) ~ Tesla, SpaceX, PayPal

→ Redefined electric vehicles, reusable rockets, and digital payments.

🌐 Sergey Brin (Russia) ~ Google

→ Gave the world the #1 search engine.

Can’t say “just Google it” without him.

📶 Jagdish Chandra Bose (India) & Vic Hayes (Netherlands) ~ Pioneered wireless communication

→ The OGs behind the tech that led to Wi-Fi.

🧬 Har Gobind Khorana (India) ~ Genetic code research, Nobel Prize winner

→ Paved the way for genetic engineering and modern medicine.

💻 Charles Simonyi (Hungary) ~ Microsoft Office

→ Helped build the foundation of Microsoft Word and Excel.

🧠 Jan Koum (Ukraine) ~ WhatsApp

→ Revolutionized global communication.

💉 Albert Sabin (Poland) ~ Oral polio vaccine

→ Saved millions of lives around the world. Yes, millions.

👨🏽‍🏫 Andrew Grove (Hungary) ~ Intel

→ Co-founded the chip empire that powers our tech.

📸 Ansel Adams’ printing techniques? Elevated by immigrant chemists who advanced photographic development.

And this is just a slice. Immigrants have been behind patents, vaccines, software, hardware, agriculture tech, energy breakthroughs, and life-saving medicine.

So when people say “they’re taking our jobs,”

Ask them:

🔧 “You using GPS? Thank Dr. Gladys West.”

💬 “You on WhatsApp? Thank a refugee.”

🚗 “You riding electric? Thank an immigrant innovator.”

📚 Immigrants = innovation.

This is not a debate. This is documented.

💥 Learn the names.

💥 Teach the history.

💥 Stop acting like immigrants are a threat.

They’re the reason half of this country runs.

👀 Drop an emoji if you’ve used one of these inventions in the last year.

🧬 Got roots outside the U.S.? Drop your country and your dream; this is your reminder you belong here too.

📊 MIC-DROP FACTS + STATS

1 in 4 children in the U.S. has at least one immigrant parent

15.8% of U.S. population = foreign-born (2025)

Immigrant workers = 19.6% of labor force

Unauthorized immigrants pay billions in taxes

84% of recent population growth = immigration

Most undocumented immigrants have been here 10+ years

LEARN IT. KNOW IT. RESPECT IT.

This isn’t about politics.

It’s about truth.

And the truth is: America was built by immigrants.

And it’s still being held up by them.

Tell Me About You:

• Where is your family originally from? Drop your flag 🇲🇽🇮🇳🇻🇳🇩🇴🇳🇬
• What’s one immigrant story you’ll never forget?
• Name a food, a person, or a product that came from an immigrant and changed your life.

Dear Immigrants,

Thank you.

Thank you for your courage, your strength, and your sacrifices.

For leaving behind the familiar to face the unknown; not out of luxury, but out of love, survival, and hope.

Thank you for waking up every day in a country that doesn’t always welcome you, but still showing up.

For doing the work, in silence, in shadows, in brilliance.

For raising families, building businesses, saving lives, feeding communities, and innovating the world.

I see your contributions.

I appreciate your existence.

I respect your story.

And I am absolutely okay with you being here.

This land is better with you on it.

This economy is stronger because of you.

Our culture is richer, our food is better, our art is deeper, and our future is brighter, because of you.

You belong here.

Not because someone gave you permission.

But because you’ve earned your place, over and over again.

So this is my letter to say:

I stand with you. I honor you. I’m grateful for you.

With respect,

A fellow human who sees the truth

And chooses compassion over fear.