Street Roots • May 12-18, 2017
Commentary
ra g e
An open letter to my newborn twins
Som Subedi lives
in Southeast
Portland
BY SOM SUBEDI
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
y dear newborn twins,
You were born just 76 days after
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the swearing in of the 45th president
of the United States. Your daddy came to
Portland with $10 and a plastic bag under the
Federal Refugee Resettlement program in
2008, when George W. Bush was still
President, after living for almost two decades in
a confined Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal.
During the Obama administration, I was hard
at work building a new life to achieve the
“American Dream” and proudly became a U.S.
citizen in 2013.
When I immigrated with my family nine
years ago next month, we were welcomed at
the airport by members of the faith community,
volunteers and fellow refugees. Uncertain,
tired, scared and hungry, we were taken to our
new home and fed; then our new friends
showed us how the appliances worked and left
us to rest. Since then, I have welcomed
hundreds of other immigrants in the same way.
But all that has been jeopardized in this new
anti-immigration era. So, I feel even more
strongly that I need to give back to the
community that welcomed me and commit
myself to helping others in need.
Our family is lucky. Born in America, you are
automatically U.S. citizens, so the Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) people won’t
show up to separate you, Mom and me.
Undocumented parents are scared to come to
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the hospital where you were born, go to the
school your big sister will be attending, or to
even shop at the grocery store. There is a lot
of fear in our community right now.
All refugees and immigrants do their best to
be a part of the system and the community.
The latest Syrian refugees are the victims of
terrorism like I was, brutalized by the despotic
ruler of Bhutan, who is 10 years younger than
Trump. They need a safe harbor, too.
Trump voters, I understand that your vote
doesn’t necessarily mean you hate refugees and
immigrants. So I appeal to Trump voters,
“Would you please share your positive
immigrant stories? Can you show your
compassion and generosity? Could you tell Mr.
Trump that refugees and immigrants are
welcome in your country?”
Better yet, Mr. Trump, I urge you and your
family to meet a refugee family or invite a
refugee family to the White House. I guarantee
you will completely change your mind about us.
We are not terrorists; we have been terrorized
ourselves. And all we want is to be safe and
free.
My dearest twins, President Trump and his
team should exemplify American values and
what we stand for: freedom. Refugees and
immigrants are not a threat to America; they
built this country and made it great. As a
former refugee and now a proud American
citizen, I am profoundly grateful.
Despite the president’s new anti-refugee and
immigrant policies and practices, I will keep
working to create a safe and welcoming place
for New Americans in our community locally
and nationally. And I will do this until you
twins, my future community builders, move this
country forward with your generation, carrying
on a legacy against ignorance and hate.
Mr. Trump could help a lot more desperate
children stay alive by keeping Amrica’s doors
open for the world’s most vulnerable refugees
— rather than bombing their homelands. As for
me, I will continue to remind you and our
nation of my story of struggle, refugee camp
life, and the promise and salvation of the
United States of America.
Som with Suvam
and Suruwa.