The United States of America. Trademarked as the “land of the free, home of the brave.” Where anyone, no matter where they originate, can come to this land of opportunity and start anew. This is exactly what colonialists who fled British control did to shape the nation we know today — giving power to the name: American.

It is important to note that the colonists who boarded ships and arrived along foreign shores, hopeful to build a better nation, came from overseas to a land already inhabited. Now, keep this brief history lesson in mind. In a nation marketed as united, why do we hold such a polarized view on immigration?

This term is defined as “the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.” But doesn’t this sound familiar? Well, this is exactly what our prideful colonists did centuries ago to form the nation we know today.

By ignoring this aspect of our country’s founding, it is no wonder why the term “immigrant,” no longer stands. Without acknowledging the beautiful, unique people who came to America simply in hopes of a better life, are now subjected to blatant discrimination for their shared past.

These notions have only been further amplified in politics, especially with the upcoming election.

We are all familiar with the “build a wall” concept or redundancies such as all immigrants creeping up our borders are here to “steal jobs” or “sell drugs.” But this perpetuating narrative fails to acknowledge the individuals behind this name and only seems to categorize immigrants based on lies and conspiracies. It is simply unfair because immigrants are just like us and deserve to be treated fairly.

We can not jump to conclusions about an entire group of people when fellow colonist Americans did the same thing centuries prior.

This political and social divide only keeps us further away from addressing immigration from an unbiased, ethical perspective to create a fair, more efficient system. To say there are no challenges faced during the citizenship application would be an understatement.

Ignorance only perpetuates a redundant narrative to support America’s superior image. Today, we turn our backs to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers we don’t know based on preconceived notions. But instead of placing the blame on people coming in, it is essential to work collectively and fix what is already broken.

For a country founded by immigration, it is simply hypocritical to ignore that truth.