NOW that the Mueller report is complete, guess what? The Wall and immigrants marching to our southern border are back in the news.  The creation of a fear mentality on immigrants coming into the US is something I don’t quite understand.  There’s nothing new about immigrants looking to re-boot their lives in the US, it’s  been a common theme since the first settlers landed on our shores greeted by native Americans.

Of course immigrants today must go through the normal process for entry and nationalization… I am sure we all agree on this.  What I personally have issues with is the made up fear of who they are, not the worst of the worst, but more like every other immigrant who was escaping oppression, violence or just looking for a better life for their loved ones and themselves.

One day, not so long ago, I picked up a gentleman who had a totally different perspective on the immigrants marching to our southern border, one that I found to be quite refreshing… perhaps you will too. Check out this new post, ARMY OF ENTREPRENURS I recently wrote for Alley.com:

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It’s a Tuesday morning in the city and surprise, surprise… its raining again. I think this is our 4th Tuesday in a row that it has rained and I am feeling like I have the Seattle blues… but I’m in Boston! Perhaps the blues I am feeling is more aligned with the fact that the Patriots are not looking so good or another rage filled driver is honking his horn at me for no apparent reason or is it all the current negative talk on the immigrant invasion aimed at our southern border… I see the sun trying to peek out from the endless stream of clouds, so perhaps this is the start of something good and I’ll always go with good!

As I turned the corner, I receive a ping from my next rider, Semyon… and his location was just a block away (see? going with good usually works out). Semyon was waiting for me curbside as I pulled up… we were heading to the Charlestown section of Boston. It didn’t take long for the conversation to start and it quickly turned to the immigrant march which some in this country are so fearful of. From his accent it was obvious this was an emotional topic for Semyon, who was an immigrant from Russia turned entrepreneur. Semyon did not understand all the fear, of course he understood that these people could not just march over the border right into the US… that there was a system in place and a process that these people needed to go through.

It is interesting to think and come to terms with immigration. Our country was founded by immigrants in after all and it seems all immigrants have several things in common, they are fleeing a bad situation in their homeland (violence, corruption, suppression) and they are looking for opportunity… isn’t that after-all the American dream?

Semyon made an interesting observation that rather than see this army of immigrants filled with criminals and terrorists (gee not sure where this vision came from) as some in this country do, the reality is polar opposite. The true fact is that many of these marchers are families, single mothers with children and others all fleeing an unsafe environment looking for opportunities. Many of these people will actually fill jobs that most Americans don’t want (filling a huge need here), until they get their proper footing and move towards more ambitious goals.

Semyon mentions that he too is an immigrant ( a refugee from the Soviet Union), and he actually started a company that helps immigrants. I need to hear more… he is a the managing partner of a venture fund company called One Way Ventures .that only invests in companies started by guess who? IMMIGRANTS! Bingo… this is really interesting right? Semyon mentions that if you look at the marchers heading here, they have sacrificed so much. Rather than sitting at home and complaining & living in fear, they took action and have given up everything just to get here… these are the kinds of people his company chooses to work with. These are the kinds of people that founded our country and make up the American.

©Driving Insights 2019