Millions of Mexican-American families came together and celebrated the memory of their ancestors before them on Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead Thursday, Nov. 1. This tradition trails back hundreds of years beyond the generation who upholds the tradition today. This holiday is constructed to teach the new generation about their roots and the great things that the family has passed down before them. In remembering their ancestors, it is believed that they will always live on. In the Mexican tradition, there is an alter set up called the ofrenda, which is an altar decorated with bright colors, photos of the deceased loved ones and marigold flowers. The altar is believed to lead the spirits to their family. This day is believed to be the one day that the dead can walk amongst the Earth to visit their living families as the families tell stories of the deceased and keep their memory alive. This tradition is significant to many people in the U.S. because this is how the citizens of the U.S. can teach their children about where their family came from, and the history about those whose blood runs through their veins. Today, this tradition’s significance resembles negativity due to President Trump stripping the rights and hopes of traveling families who had been straining to come to America to start a better life together. The only knowledge many of the coming generation will have of their ancestors will no longer be stories shared by their parents, they will only be photos sent from their undocumented families across the wall as long as Trump continues to outlaw the freedom of those who travel to America.

For decades, America has been a sanctuary to all. America was sought to appreciate diversities and celebrate the beliefs of all cultures. The face of what America stood for was written on the slab held by the Statue of Liberty herself stating “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. To spread the light of liberty world-wide for every land.”  

Since Oct. 28, 1886, America has proudly stood to be a sanctuary to all others around the world and most Americans took pride in knowing that the heart of America was pure and open to helping those less fortunate. America lifted the spirits and dusted off the fallen hopes of those who crossed into the U.S. with nothing in their pockets.

President Trump stated earlier in the year that on March 18 he had began his process to build a wall to border America. Trump believes that the root to most crimes are from those who are undocumented, however, Trump has yet to mention his personal lack of consideration for the psychological, environmental and all other predisposing factors that may contribute to a crime taking place in the first place. Trump has insisted that this border will somehow stop crime and offer more jobs to Americans as opposed to immigrants. According to sources, he has continued to build it.

With building the wall, Trump has also initiated criminalizing and deporting undocumented children. As stated on President Trump’s website, “under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security took action to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in an orderly fashion, following the assessment of the Department of Justice (DOJ) that DACA lacks legal authorization. This action gives Congress the opportunity to consider appropriate legislative solutions, as required by our Constitution.”

According to the President’s website, by the end of his first year Immigrations and Customs Enforcement had successfully made 110,568 arrests of illegal immigrants with only 2,798 being gang members. Now, Trump wants to take the citizenship away from the younger generation of immigrants who were brought to America by their immigrant parents to be born an American.

President Trump, who once presented his passion to uphold the U.S. Constitution Second Amendment by upholding gun rights to Americans, is now fighting to reconstruct the 14th Amendment itself. Initially, birthright citizenship is a legal right to citizenship for all children born in a country’s territory, regardless if the child’s parents are documented or not, according to the 14th Amendment. This idea is absolute sanctuary for parents who are from other countries that will travel so far to get to America, carrying a baby, just to have their child born in America in hopes that their child will grow to make a better life for themselves and their family.

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits,” Trump said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”

However, that is untrue as on 2015, there are over 30 countries around the world that decree some form of lawful birthright citizenship to those born on their country’s territory.

There are over eight names in congress around the U.S. who have clearly stated that they support President Trump’s hope to end birthright citizenship, including Donald Trump. However, it is near to impossible to modify any part of the U.S. Constitution, let alone erase an entire amendment, as these are the laws that were stated by the founding fathers of America. President Trump will continue to try, as he believes that he is capable to pass his proposed executive order. It is a slim chance that this order will be passed as stated above, this diminished the rightful laws that our constitution grants. America’s founding fathers stood with a belief that will be close to impossible to legally diminish.

In fact, in the year 1898, the courts were in a battle with a Chinese immigrant who had traveled abroad and was denied re-entry, Wong Kim Ark fought back and won with a majority vote of 6-2.

The courts decided that “the amendment, in clear words and in manifest intent, includes the children born within the territory of the United States of all other persons, of whatever race or color, domiciled within the United States.”

According to NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released in Sept. 2017, only 30 percent of Americans who were surveyed agreed with Trump’s idea to take away the birthright citizenship, and the chances remain slim. Currently, what is known is that those who are already living their lives as Americans would not be stripped of their existing citizenship as they were merely mentioned, and not the focus of concern. The president’s main concern seems to be targeted toward the citizenship of the unborn babies that will be born upon undocumented parents. The president has struck fear in the hearts and minds of many, and the past incidents regarding this similar act should uphold as a hopeful looking glass that, with hope, Americans will stick to the amendments set by the founding fathers of America, holding on to their wishes to keep America a sanctioned land.

Melisa Tovar, co-founder of Sigma Lambda Gamma of Washburn, said she was angry when she heard that the administration wants to take away her birth right as a citizen. 

“I come from a single mother undocumented citizen of six children. What was shocking to me as a person is how we treat undocumented citizens in a way where we dehumanize them,” Tovar said. “My mom left her family, friends and education behind in order to give me a better life. She didn’t come to the United States to have a child so that she could get legal status.

Tovar explained that there are many obstacles that her mother had to face before she could consider petitioning for her to gain status.

“My mother has been in the United States for 22 years and the only criminal record she has had was a seat belt violation, that enough was to have her picked up and almost deported. The amount of fear, time, money and resources it took to get her out of our situation was something that no family should have to face alone,” Tovar said. “Having this news was something that would change not only her future but mine as well. It will impact a family who is hardworking with the dreams to continue with higher education who is wanting to create a change in society. I am a proud daughter of an undocumented citizen and I am proud to advocate our story and our rights.”

In the year 1964, Nicolas Cardenas-Bonuelos, ventured to America astray from his hometown and family, in Zaccatecas Mexico, at the age of 19, with only five pesos in his pocket. A few years later, he fell in love, started his family and planted his roots in the heart of Denver, Colorado. At the age of 72, 53 years after his venture, he finally became a citizen of the U.S. On Nov. 6, he placed his first vote in the state of Kansas.

Angela Marie Cardenas-Bonuelos, Nicolas Cardenas-Bonuelos’ youngest daughter, shared her experience.

”As a first generation here in the United States, I do not know how to put all my feelings and opinions in one short statement.  My first reaction would be anger, of course, because I know the trials and loss and nightmares my dad and all parents went through to get here to America to give their future generations a chance at a safer, longer, more educated and happier life,” Angela Marie Cardenas-Bonuelos said. “In the other countries our ancestors never really felt accomplished and to them, by risking their lives to come here is the greatest most precious gift that they could ever give to us, and it is, it was for me.”

Angela Marie Cardenas-Bonuelos said that her dad wouldn’t have lived as long as he has now and she wouldn’t have the life she has because she would have died having her first child.

“To take away our rights as citizens because we are born in this country is an attack on the helpless unborn children. If the problem is that we need to root out the true Americans to stay then lets begin testing all Americans by giving them all the same test that all of the immigrants must take and make all persons born here make the oath that the immigrants need to take to become citizens,” Angela Marie Cardenas-Bonuelos said. “Do not take away the babies and throw them into the darkness of despair.  Do not take the women who are carrying new life within them feel as if they are wrong for doing what we, as humans, were put on this earth for, [to] reproduce. And if, indeed, America does trust in God then this injustice is not his work.”