移民社区遭遇空前挑战，正考验我们的国家良心

移民社区遭遇空前挑战，正考验我们的国家良心

——写在风雨之中的一封公开信

近年来，从疫情冲击、经济震盪，到政治极化、仇恨犯罪抬头，社会上的每一道裂痕，都先划向最脆弱的人群。其中，移民社区正面临一场前所未有的考验：他们在支撑这个国家的日常运转，却在制度与偏见的夹缝中艰难求生。

我们必须诚实面对一个现实：在许多城市与社区裡，移民往往是最早被解僱的一群、最难申请到补助的一群、最无力為自己发声的一群。语言障碍让他们在医疗体系前望而却步；身份压力让他们不敢走进法院与政府机关；社会偏见甚至把他们描绘成「负担」与「威胁」。当经济不景气、社会情绪焦虑时，移民就成了最方便被贴上标籤、丢进火堆的替罪羊。

然而，数据与街头的真实景象说明的，恰恰相反。多少移民小店撑起了一个个社区的经济命脉；多少移民劳工在清晨与深夜默默工作，维持城市的乾净运转；多少移民子女在学校中追赶语言与课业的双重压力，却仍然努力成為第一代大学毕业生。这些真实的故事，构成了「美国梦」最具说服力的注脚，也构成了我们这个社会最不应被忽视的一块基石。

在空前挑战之下，我们也看见了另一种力量正在萌芽。许多移民社区自发成立互助会、法律援助中心与文化服务机构，帮忙翻译文件、陪同就医、指导申请政府资源；新一代移民与少数族裔青年，走上街头、走进议会，用选票与行动要求制度改变，把上一代「低头苦干」的沉默，转化為「抬头发声」的权利。这种从底层长出的公民力量，正是民主社会赖以更新的养分。

但单靠移民社区自身的奋斗远远不够。面对移民社区遭遇的空前挑战，政府与主流社会不再有「袖手旁观」的道德空间。政府层面必须加强语言服务、法律援助、教育资源与社区医疗，让制度不再以「看不见」為藉口；立法机构与执法单位要严肃面对仇恨犯罪与歧视案件，让任何基於种族、肤色、语言、身份的暴力与侮辱，都有明确的法律代价。

同时，媒体与教育体系更有不可推卸的责任。媒体不能只在治安新闻裡出现移民的身影，却忽略了他们在科技、医疗、教育、创业等领域的贡献；学校课程不能只讲主流歷史，却不肯為移民故事留一页空白。当移民的脸孔长期被扭曲、被隐形，偏见便会在无形中滋长，终於在某一个情绪失控的时刻，转化為无法挽回的伤害。

一个国家的伟大，不只是GDP数字有多亮眼，也不只是军事力量有多强大，而在於它如何对待最弱势、最容易被牺牲的一群人。移民社区今日遭遇的空前挑战，其实是一面镜子，正映照出我们集体的价值判断：我们究竟是把他们当成「暂住的外人」，还是当成与我们一同承担未来的「真正公民」？

本报认為，任何嚮往公平、尊严与机会的社会，都必须在此刻做出选择：是任由恐惧与偏见主导舆论，还是让理性与良心重新引导政策与对话。移民不是威胁，而是这个国家一次又一次自我更新的力量来源。当我们愿意与移民社区站在一起，捍卫他们应有的权利与尊严，也正是在守护这片土地最珍贵的价值——那个曾经吸引无数人远渡重洋、赌上一生的承诺：只要努力，这裡就有你的一席之地。

Immigrant Communities Under Unprecedented Pressure: A Test of Our National Conscience

In recent years, a cascade of crises has shaken our society: a global pandemic, economic instability, deepening political polarization, and a disturbing rise in hate crimes. Every crack in our social fabric has first and most deeply cut into the lives of the most vulnerable. Among them, immigrant communities are facing an unprecedented test. They help keep this country running, yet too often are forced to survive in the shadows of our laws and our prejudices.

We must confront an uncomfortable truth: in many cities and neighborhoods, immigrants are often the first to lose their jobs, the last to receive public assistance, and the least able to speak up for themselves. Language barriers keep them from navigating healthcare systems; fears over immigration status discourage them from stepping into courtrooms or government offices; and social bias paints them as “burdens” or “threats.” In times of economic anxiety and social tension, immigrants become the easiest scapegoats, labeled and blamed for problems they did not create.

But the reality on the ground tells a different story. Immigrant-owned small businesses sustain local economies and keep neighborhood streets alive. Immigrant workers quietly labor in early mornings and late nights, keeping our cities clean, fed, and functioning. Immigrant children shoulder the double burden of catching up in a new language while striving to meet high academic expectations—many becoming the first in their families to graduate from college. These stories are not footnotes; they are living proof of the “American Dream,” and they form a critical pillar of our national strength.

Under unprecedented pressure, we are also witnessing another force rising from within these communities: resilience and self-organization. Immigrant groups are forming mutual-aid networks, legal clinics, and community centers. Volunteers translate documents, accompany neighbors to medical appointments, and help families access public resources. A new generation of immigrants and young people of color is stepping into the public sphere—marching in the streets, testifying at hearings, organizing voter drives. They are transforming an older tradition of “keeping your head down and working hard” into a new ethic of “speaking up and claiming your rights.” This grassroots civic energy is exactly what keeps a democracy alive.

But immigrant communities cannot and should not be expected to carry this burden alone. Faced with the unprecedented challenges they now confront, neither government nor mainstream society has the moral luxury of standing on the sidelines. Public institutions must invest in language access, legal aid, education, and community health, so that “we didn’t see them” is no longer an excuse. Legislatures and law enforcement agencies must take hate crimes and discrimination seriously, ensuring that acts of violence or harassment based on race, skin color, language, or immigration status carry real legal consequences.

Media and schools also have an undeniable responsibility. News outlets cannot limit immigrant visibility to crime stories while ignoring their contributions to science, medicine, education, the arts, and entrepreneurship. Curricula must make room for immigrant histories and narratives, not just a single, sanitized mainstream storyline. When immigrant faces are distorted, stereotyped, or erased from public view, prejudice grows quietly in the background—until it erupts, suddenly and tragically, into irreversible harm.

The greatness of a nation is not measured solely by its GDP or its military strength. It is measured by how it treats the most vulnerable, the most easily sacrificed. The crisis now facing immigrant communities is a mirror reflecting our collective values. Do we see immigrants as temporary outsiders, or as full partners in shaping our shared future?

This newspaper believes that any society that claims to stand for fairness, dignity, and opportunity must make a clear choice in this moment. We can allow fear and prejudice to shape our politics and our public discourse—or we can let reason, compassion, and justice lead the way. Immigrants are not a threat to this country; they are one of its most powerful sources of renewal.

When we stand with immigrant communities and defend their rights and dignity, we are not granting special favors. We are honoring the deepest promise of this land—the promise that drew generations across oceans and borders: If you are willing to work, to contribute, and to dream, there will be a place for you here.