Immigrants pursuing Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
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**Grounds of Hope for Others**

Good afternoon,

As Fourth of July approaches next week, I'm reminded of the hardships
many immigrants, including myself, have experienced  just to be free.
The United States in our eyes is truly "

**the land of**

**the free and the home of the brave**." And there is no place on earth
like it.

When I first learned about Independence Day and what it means as a new
immigrant from Syria in 2006, I cried. I cried for the duration of the
beautiful fireworks displayed by the Washington Monument as I sat on the
steps of the Lincoln Memorial. That day my mother planned for us to go
celebrate America's birthday on the National Mall for the first time.
She wanted me to feel at home again in a land that was extremely foreign
to me. Since that night, Fourth of July celebrations have become a
tradition in my small family in America. Rain or shine, we dress up in
red, white, and blue and carry our small American flags as we join
hundreds of Americans on this joyful occasion to celebrate in
Washington, D.C.

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**Celebrating July 4th in my beloved city, Washington, D.C., in 2014.**
My family and I fled our homeland nearly 17 years ago due to direct
death threats from the Assad regime. We can't go back. I grew up in a
family fighting dictatorship and oppression my whole life. My activist
grandfather was killed under torture before I was even born. All we
wanted was freedom, justice, and dignity. And four of us found that
here. The U.S. is my home, and I'm proud to be a citizen. I became an
adult here, I went to university here, I work here, I fell in love here,
I made friends here, and I put down my roots in this precious land
hoping the wind would be less harsh this time.

My family's journey was long and difficult, but we were fortunate that
we had a clear process with a pathway to citizenship. My family and I
did not suffer in 130-degree heat in the back of a truck with its doors
shut for hours with no water or fresh air. We were not smuggled through
pitch black roads into this country and left to die on the side of a
road. This year alone nearly 300 migrants have died

crossing the US-Mexico border. Almost 100 migrants, over half of them
dead, were found in a semitrailer in the sweltering heat in San Antonio
this week. Deaths and crimes like this tragedy

will continue until there are legislative solutions and concrete actions

taken by the U.S. government to help migrants and save lives. I urge you
to open your eyes and hearts and continue to advocate for just and
humane policies for immigrants and migrants, the backbone of our nation.

As Thomas Jefferson said in his last Fourth of July speech in 1826, "...

**all eyes are opened, or opening to the rights of man... These are
grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual retune of this
day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an
undiminished devotion to them**." 

Stay healthy and hopeful, 

Oula 

Oula Alrifai 
Assistant Vice President of Field and Constituencies 
National Immigration Forum  

 
NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:  

TEXAS TRIBUNE: Death is a constant risk for undocumented migrants
entering Texas
 

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Border Patrol paroles migrants to avoid massive
overcrowding
 

FORBES: Good immigration news on Green Cards and Afghan parole
  

CBS NEWS: Biden administration halts limits on ICE arrests following
court ruling
 

NBC NEWS: More than 71,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the U.S. since
March
 

 

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