One of my Kuwaiti friends, Musaed, sent me this video on WhatsApp with the text, “Short video about American Bedoun. I thought you would like it.” I thought to myself, American Bedouns? What is he talking about?
In case you are not familiar with the plight of the Bedoun in Kuwait you can read up on them (here).
I watched the video and then realized he was talking about the children of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Their parents entered the US illegally to work and brought their young children with them when they were around 1 – 3 years old. They were not born in the US but were brought up there and given a free education in US public schools. Their parents worked hard to support them and make sure that nobody found out about their illegal status. Illegal families living in constant fear of being deported back to their home countries, mostly from Mexico. These illegal immigrant children do not have social security numbers and are not allowed to obtain legal residency or driving licenses. However, US healthcare is free for all illegal immigrants and the hospital cannot turn them into the authorities.
The illegal immigrant children featured in the below films are academic and sports stars. The only life they know is inside the United States. They haven’t been to Mexico since they were babies and it’s really a sad situation. I would never feel right about having them deported even though they are illegal. It is their parents that broke the law and entered the US illegally. They just wanted a better life for their families and to hope for a piece of the fading American dream.
The problem that America is facing is how can they afford to grant residency to every child born outside the US but brought in illegally to the USA? I mean they already get free education and healthcare but should we allow them to stay forever? It's not their fault that their parents chose to bring them here. However, if we do pardon them wouldn’t this cause a giant increase in illegal’s bringing in their children through the boarders to enjoy the same benefits? I mean where do we draw the line?
The United States has one of the most generous policies regarding citizenship. Anyone born in the US whether from illegals, green card holders or tourists will become automatic US citizens. There are many cases of foreign tourists that hide their pregnancy just so they can fly over and have their baby in the US. Just imagine if this was done in Kuwait? How would it affect your employment, salaries, free medical care and standard of living? The Bedoun people of Kuwait would eventually cease to exist because every newborn would become Kuwaiti. So would all expat children born in Kuwait. That’s millions of new Kuwaiti’s and billions of dinars spent on them.
If you are Kuwaiti can you imagine every expat child that was born in their native country and then brought to Kuwait being able to stay in Kuwait forever with free education and healthcare? Does this make the illegals in the USA American Bedouns when they were born in another country? I do not think they are Bedouns like Kuwait but illegal immigrants. Kuwait, what do you think? Am I wrong? Is it the same thing?
Under President Obama there has been immigration reform and you can see that in the below post video about the illegal track star. It’s not a permanent solution but it does give them and extension and hope for residency.
This morning in the Kuwaiti Times there was an interesting article (here) on expat youth that were born in Kuwait and could only stay here with a job that provided a visa 18 after they turn 21. If these youth fail to get residency through employment they are forced to leave Kuwait and their families. All they know since birth is life in Kuwait as an expat unlike the Mexican illegal’s in the US, they were legally in Kuwait sponsored by their parents before they turned 21. These expat children were born in Kuwait and not their parent's country.
This is the part I just don’t’ get. Even Kuwaiti women who marry non-Kuwaiti men cannot sponsor their husbands and their children are not granted Kuwaiti citizenship. This is the opposite for Kuwaiti men who marry expats. Their children are automatic Kuwaitis and the expat women can become Kuwaiti citizens in five years if they have children and I believe in 10 to 15 years if they do not. Kuwaiti men marrying Eastern Europeans, Asians and Westerners have drastically increased and most do not pay the women's families dowries. When will Kuwaiti women who make up more than 70% of University graduates in Kuwait receive the same rights as Kuwaiti men? I really hope it's soon for the sake of their children most of all.
Was Musaed right and are these illegal immigrants in the US born in Mexico America's Bedouns? Does America have the same problem as Kuwait? Readers, what are your thoughts?
Very touchy and emotional subject. But I will share this -- I am a naturalized American. I followed the rules and the process and went to the US legally. Now, Obama gives away what I spent years earning. Not right, not fair and just wrong. Also, the US government is based on a Constitutional systems of check and balances that he ignored to get votes.
ReplyDeleteA whole lot more here than could be discussed adequetly on a blog.
I have read much about the Beduon and there are conflicting issues there too. What about those who came here and destroyed their own passports to avoid being deported because they sought the richness here. Should they be allowed to stay over those trying to come here legally?
Difficult questions.
Thank you for sharing your story and for wanting to come to America the right and honest way. You have my respect and best wishes.
DeleteIt is imperative for all countries in the world to establish residency boundaries; otherwise, you will have migrants moving across the world and this will burden the economies of all nations. No one in the world provides so many benefits to illegal residents than the U.S., it is ridiculous and costly for this nation to continue to do this without enforcing residency boundaries. To address the U.S. is too lengthy, so I will center my comment on Kuwait. Unlike the U.S., Kuwait is a very small country, who has purportedly agreed to provide citizenship to around 35,000 bedouns as reported in the local press, but to freely give citizenship to residents who have spent many years living in the country, or who claim they are Kuwaiti without proof could be catastrophic economically for this nation. However, Kuwait can reform visas so that long-time residents do not face the burden of having to leave the country when they face unemployment, where they could be issued a self-sponsorship visa and this visa is not tied to employment. It works to their advantage to provide people who have lived in this country and stayed loyal to this nation after so many years by issuing them this long-time residency visa. Regarding spouses of Kuwaitis male/female, they should be able to have a work permit to work in the private sector attached to a spousal visa. Many of these spouses have Kuwaiti children and they have ties to this nation, so why should they have to juggle sponsors when they need to work in the country and why does the Kuwait government think that all women married to Kuwaitis want their passports? Women married to Kuwaitis, after a certain timeframe, can acquire Kuwaiti citizenship, men married to Kuwaiti women cannot. By restructuring visas, Kuwait will save the State money, by limiting citizenships awarded by the State.
ReplyDeleteVery good points. I wonder how long it will take the 35k Bedouns that were promised Kuwait citizenship to actually receive it. My heart goes out to the people with legitimate claims that have waited for decades.
DeleteThese are not 'Bedouns' in America. Bedoun means 'without' -- these people are not without citizenship. They are eligible for Mexican citizenship. I sympathize with them because their parents didn't take the steps required to become legal and this leaves their growing children in a bad situation. However, the do have a legal right to their Mexican citizenship -- unlike many of the Bedouns in Kuwait.
ReplyDeleteOf course there ARE people in Kuwait who came here only a few short years ago, have no immediate family here in Kuwait, and claim they've been in Kuwait for decades. These are not Bedouns either. They are people who came here under false pretenses and SHOULD claim the citizenship they're eligible for (Saudi, Syria, Iraq, etc).
Then you have the ones who have been here for generations, long before the 1965 census, ALL of their immediate and extended family are here, and they truly have no knowledge of any other citizenship held by family members. Those people ARE Bedouns. The Mexican children now growing into adults in America don't face this issue. They know where their family is from, they're eligible for another citizenship, and they should claim it and go through the legal procedures to obtain a green card and remain in America.
Sadly, there is a story of a Mexican man who was brought to America when he was about 2 years old. His mother always told him he was born in America and was a US citizen. He always went to public school and referred to himself as a US citizen. He then applied for student loans using a social security number his mother had somehow acquired for him years before. On his application he stated he was a US Citizen. He was caught, deported, and denied entry to America FOREVER. Claiming to be a US Citizen when you're not is a crime and the punishment is being barred from entry for a lifetime. So the parents who are misleading their Mexican children in America are doing a terrible disservice to their children.
Whew! That was long, sorry.
Thank you for the clarification and the long story ;) was a perfect example. I just feel so sorry for the children that think they are American citizens because of their parents. What a terrible way to discover the truth about your nationality.
DeleteMost of the bedouns in Kuwait are here illegally from saudi arabia, iraq and syria. They burned their true passports and they are demanding the Kuwaiti citizenship because it offers a lot. You can get a lot from the Kuwaiti government for being a "Kuwaiti" like a house, marriage gift, free education, free health care, secured job with a good salary, allowance for each kid, help with an apartment rent if you still don't own a house and many more benefits.
ReplyDeleteAlso us kuwaiti's we like to keep our traditions and culture. If many people granted the Kuwaiti citizenship everything will change and we will lose our true identity. For example look at dubai, it became an international city and SOME emaratis in dubai lost some of their identity and traditions.
The kuwaiti government gave/gives the citizenship to the people that deserves it for example:
All of the people who fought for kuwait or helped during the invasion.
If you graduated in kuwait with a really high GPA.
If you did anything helpful to kuwait.
If you lived for a really long time in kuwait and blended in to be a true kuwaiti.
We don't want people to love kuwait only for the benefits and money, they should love kuwait with their hearts.
Anonymous 11:15.
Delete"Also us kuwaiti's we like to keep our traditions and culture. If many people granted the Kuwaiti citizenship everything will change and we will lose our true identity" Do you think you haven't already lost your national/cultural identity? Yeh. Kuwait has been suffering for many years and it isn't because bedoun nor anyone else has been naturalized. I could go on and on about this, but why bother?
And the facts that you mentioned:
Most of the bedoun who fought for Kuwait have not received nationality - even though many were promised. Bedoun PhD holders can not get Kuwaiti nationality just because of their degrees. Many bedoun people have helped Kuwait [including those (and their survivors) who lost their lives in the assassination attempt on Sheikh Jaber (RIP)]. "If you lived for a really long time in Kuwait" - emmm, do you mean since the 1965 census when those who were in Kuwait were supposed to be granted nationality but were not?
You should really know your facts and not just listen to the rhetoric that some are trying to feed the latest generations of Kuwaitis to create further disunity in the country.
All bedoun in Kuwait were asked to take a mandatory DNA test (at 85KD per person; man, woman, and child - when many bedoun do not have jobs) that would resolve the question as to weather or not they were "Kuwaiti". The government knows who should receive citizenship and who should not. Those who qualify SHOULD be given their nationality and rights.
Thank you for linking my article on your interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteThe recent changes in the U.S on the immigration laws was something I took real notice of while I was writing the article for Kuwait Times and you brought it to light very well.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Aakash! Thank you for your amazing article. I very much enjoy reading your articles. :)
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