California Bill to Extend Home Mortgage Aid to Undocumented Immigrants

Can someone please help me understand how this is fair?

I am an immigrant, and it was my lifelong dream to come to America. For years, I held onto that dream with hope and determination. I believed, and still believe, that laws and borders exist for good reasons. I was convinced that anyone who comes to this country should be grateful enough to abide by its laws, to respect its customs, and to embrace its values. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." I never expected Americans to adjust to me; I was ready and willing to adjust to them. That's why I spent three years in school learning the English language - to better integrate into the society that I so deeply admire. 

Every single day, I strive to be an excellent and useful citizen of America. This country has given me opportunities that I could never have dreamed of in the Philippines, but those opportunities didn’t come without sacrifice. I left my entire family behind, traveled to America alone, and faced a world that was entirely foreign to me. I took on jobs that many people might overlook or disdain. I worked as a nanny, caring for three children. I became a caregiver, tending to the elderly and dying, bathing them, cooking for them, and feeding them. I worked as a hotel housekeeper, scrubbing toilets and cleaning rooms, often late into the night.

I moved out of #California because I didn’t want to be part of the endless, nonsensical rat race. I worked so hard, so hard that I often cried myself to sleep. The exhaustion and the feeling of loneliness were overwhelming, but I persevered, because I believed in the promise of America. I gave up everything I had in the Philippines - my family, my friends, my entire life, because of my American dream.

Through sheer determination, I worked my way up from being a nanny to becoming a banker. I saved every penny I could, and was able to buy my first home, and eventually, other properties. Every achievement, every success, was a result of my hard work and sacrifices, not because of any handouts or government assistance. I did it on my own and the support of my husband, without asking taxpayers to foot the bill for my dreams.

After nearly a decade of being away from my native land, I finally walked into an empty home, knowing that my family was gone. Standing at the graves of my parents and only sibling, the weight of those ten years hit me all at once.

But now, I watch in disbelief as I see what’s happening in California. I have friends there who have been struggling for decades - good, hardworking people who can barely pay their rent and are on the verge of living in their cars, and yet, I hear that California, under a Democratic Party governor, is providing taxpayer money to migrants who have never contributed to this country. Now tell me, how is that fair?