We spent $1 billion building a wall along our southern border. It was a boondoggle. It was to keep out illegal immigrants and drug runners, but it didn't work. We are going to try again - a waste of time and money.
A word of personal disclosure. I am the son of an immigrant, a Ukrainian Jew who came to the U.S. as a young man to seek his fame and fortune. My father found neither, but he was a hard worker; he cared for and supported his family. We never knew if he was legal or illegal. We didn't ask. He never said.
My mother was an Irish Catholic, born in this country along with her six brothers, but not far removed from the Irish immigrants who arrived in New York in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her father was a New York Irish policeman, killed when kicked in the head by his horse. My uncles became New York policemen and successful businessmen. Such are the fascinating tales of our ancestors.
We describe our country as a welcoming nation for immigrants. Many immigrants first saw the Statue of Liberty and heard about the words on her pedestal: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.." They believed them.
Over time millions of immigrants and their offspring became citizens. It's a source of our great vitality, strength and creativity for our country. One wonders why there is such animosity toward our newest arrivals, Hispanics.
From the very founding of our nation we have had those who discriminated against immigrants - blacks, both slaves and freemen, during the Revolutionary period, to the demonstrable hatred against Irish and Italians during the 19th and early 20th centuries, compounded by their Catholicism. Jews experienced much the same despicable treatment.
As these groups attended our public school system, however, they not only learned the language but also developed a thirst, a dream for a better life for themselves and their children. The dream could be achieved by public education. Our middle class grew and the nation thrived. The dream became the hope for Puerto Ricans, Latin Americans, Asians, Eastern Europeans and the multitudes of others who sought the gift of hope.
Immigrants - legal or illegal - and their legally born children in the U.S. made major contributions to our national greatness. Let's now allow our newest immigrants to make their contributions.
Walls have never worked. We need a comprehensive immigration policy that allows our newest immigrants, regardless of their legal status, to take part in the American dream. A vibrant public education will make the dream work for them and us.
• Eugene Paslov is a board member of the Davidson Academy at the University of Nevada, Reno and the former Nevada state superintendent of schools.
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