Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at Cornell University about the systemic inequities in U.S. refugee and border policy.
I stood in front of the students at Cornell University, ready to share my story. My journey to this podium began in Nigeria. I had always dreamed of attaining a college degree, getting married, having a job, and raising children. But when I discovered my sexual orientation as a gay person, I knew that my dreams were in jeopardy. After a few years of trying to hide my sexual orientation, I discovered my dreams for the future were no longer what I thought it would be at fifteen.
After a few years of living authentically as a gay person, Nigeria passed a law that criminalized same-sex relationships, and I became a victim of consistent violence due to my sexual orientation. I had to make the hard decision to flee in search of safety.
I imagined the United States to be a more welcoming place, a place where I could seek refuge and start a new life. But upon arrival, I was handcuffed at the airport, shackles were placed on my feet, and I was driven to a detention center. Instead of safety, I was met with hostility. And as I spent five months and 14 days locked up in a cell, I saw firsthand the systemic issues within the immigration system.
Before arriving in the United States, the only story I heard was that America was a welcoming country. But the reality was far from it. Many refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced people have no other option but to migrate due to persecution, war, famine, and strife.
Over the years the U.S. has seen shifts in public perception changed but the laws do not reflect this shift. According to the Pew Research Center, 63 percent of Americans were against immigrants relocating to America in the 1990s. Thirty years later, 66 percent of Americans see immigrants as a strong contribution to society. While American views have changed over time, people still question why undocumented immigrants are allowed to live in the United States and why money is spent on immigration.
But here’s the thing: immigrants are not the problem. The problem lies in the system that allows them to fall through the cracks of society. When I was released from the detention center, I was left to figure out how to live in the United States on my own. I had no housing, no legal aid, no form of support. And this is the reality for many immigrants who are left to fend for themselves in a new and unfamiliar country.
So, what can we do to fix this broken system? First and foremost, we need to abolish detention centers. These centers strip immigrants of their humanity, and they serve no purpose in a just and compassionate society. Instead, we need to focus on granting immigrants the chance to assimilate into American society by learning English, so they do not fall down before they are given a chance to climb up. The integration process of people into the United States needs to be reviewed, and policies need to promote diversity and inclusion.
But above all, we need to remember that immigrants are human beings. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, and neighbors. They are dreamers, thinkers, artists, and innovators. And when we welcome them into our society, we enrich our communities and our country as a whole.
As I finished my speech, I looked out at the audience. Some faces were solemn, others were thoughtful, and a few were smiling. But all of them were listening, and that was all that mattered. Because when we listen to each other’s stories, we open our minds to new perspectives, and we begin to see the world in a different light. And maybe, just maybe, we can start to build a more just and welcoming society, one story at a time.