Alien. Alien. Something green as slime and tall as a grandfather clock that chimes. They come from a different planet and use UFOs. So why is the guy who runs the Portuguese deli being called an Alien? Why is the Ecuadorian lady who cleans her local church being called an Alien? Why is the mother of a friend who worked day and night to put food on the table being called an Alien? Why is my family being called Aliens?
We are not green. Some of us are taller than others. We were all born on planet Earth, on different sides. Some of us use cars, others use trains, the babies use strollers and the kids use the cheese bus. My family has never hopped on a UFO, though my step-mom says she’d love to go to space with the guarantee of making it back safely. I wonder how many people have said the same thing about coming to the United States of America.
What starts as name-calling, harassment, intimidating, becomes trespassing, cyberbullying and murder. Listening to reporters and people in power belittle others because of where they come from in the twentieth century is ridiculous. It is inevitable to receive backlash and resistance when the quota is full of hatred. It should upset the country to see a group of ICE agents drag a citizen out of his house. It should infuriate the country to see ICE agents use a child as bait when their supposed goal is to protect the youth. I’m not demanding that everyone believe the same thing I do, but I’m asking them to try and feel what immigrants do. But why should I attempt to convince a group of people that seeking a better life is not evil? I could ramble about how immigrants are not savages, animals or aliens but I choose to think differently.
Not many people remember that Superman from DC Comics is an alien. The classic superhero every child and some middle-aged men look up to was called names and publicly ridiculed for not being fully human. He could’ve attempted to clear his name in public or shut himself away from the world, but Superman chose to continue making the world a better place. In the most recent film adaptation of the superhero, Superman (2025), he says something that truly resonates with me. He’s to the point of defeating a villain. Still, instead of ending the fight with one last punch, he delivers a powerful paragraph: “I am as human as anyone. I love, I get scared, I wake up every morning, and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other, and I try to make the best choices that I can. I screw up all the time, but that is being human, and that’s my greatest strength.” We are humans. We all bleed the same color. We come from different countries with different landscapes, from mountains to beaches and other foods like empanadas or sushi. And that is our greatest strength. Our differences make our world a little more interesting. And if being called an Alien means to speak my native language, have tanner skin and accomplish what my family never could, then I’m okay with it.