It is incredibly sad to me that so often it is “guests” in our country (not that your husband is a guest, but he is someone new(ish) to our country) who fall victim to these acts. Of course they happen to plenty of Americans too, but the vast majority happen due to circumstances which can’t be controlled by the people within them. Immigrants and uneducated, poor Americans find themselves working these kinds of jobs to make ends meet, many living in dangerous areas, surrounded by crime. It’s a shame that despite the assurances by government officials that people can lead perfectly safe and prosperous lives under these circumstances, the odds most certainly seem stacked against them at times.

This is really why I’m passionate about studying education policy. To me, the opportunities (or lack thereof) available to immigrants and to “high-risk”, low income children and families are the foundation of why so much of our business, industry and governmental infrastructure seem to be failing. We cannot continue to be the most powerful nation in the world if we continue to refuse to open our eyes to the fact that we are a nation FOUNDED on immigration and EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. I know many immigrants who work a hell of a lot harder in school than many Americans I know, because they understand the value of what they are getting. This is my passion–I am driven by the hope that I can affect some sort of change for these people and their children. Immigrant or not, no one should have to go to work afraid for his or her life. I know the world can’t be perfect, but we can sure as hell do a lot better than we’re doing now.

**Steps off soapbox** (sorry for the tangent-ridden rant!)