Postville, IA

"La Historia de Nuestras Vidas" ("The story of our lives") was a play that I had seen on campus earlier this semester that dealt with immigration, and namely the immigration raid that happened in Postville, IA on May 12, 2008. The play was completely in Spanish, but they had the entire play written out in English so everyone could follow along with the story. The story itself talked about the immigration struggles that the thousands of immigrants have to face in order to get into the United States. Through out the play, it was easy to see that the yearning for life in America is so strong that people with stop at nothing just for a chance of obtaining the "American dream" that we always hear so much about. After the play ended I had an overwhelming feeling of appreciation that I'm not in the same situation as the illegal immigrants. I can't blame them for wanting to come to our country because they want a better life that is almost unattainable in their homelands. I feel terribly for the families of those arrested in Postville. I feel like the government should have handled that situation in a more understanding way. I do NOT believe that the immigrants that were arrested should be allowed to live in this country illegally, and I do feel that they need to be reprimanded for breaking the law, but I feel that more compassion was needed than what they received. We are all humans trying to strive for the best lives possible. From an educational stand point, I feel there is a lot we can learn from this play about immigration. Tolerance and acceptance would definitely be two main points that I feel are important lessons for anyone to learn. Also, I can't help but think about the children across the country that are affected by these types of situations. How would a child be able to deal with the stress of their family being deported? This situation can really teach us all a lesson. We must be understanding, becasue without understanding, the world truly can be a harsh place.