A struggle with labels and what's 'illegal'

Written by one of a group of high school students who volunteer and teach English to homeless immigrants. This story gives me hope for the young people in this country. DP

BY MARY McNAMARA
Mary McNamara is a senior at Northport High School

Newsday.com : Each week students from Northport High School, members of an organization called Students for 60,000, visit immigrant workers at houses of worship in Huntington and a community center in Farmingdale to teach English. These young people have gotten to know men who most of us know only from news stories. Here, two of the volunteers reflect on the experience.

When people find out about the time I spend each week with homeless immigrants in our community, a question inevitably arises: "Why do you do this, when some of them are here illegally?" The implication is that I am aiding someone in the commission of a crime, which is itself illegal.

I am not one to participate in illegal activities, for they usually involve putting someone else in danger or even myself. But in my mind, there is a big difference between giving a bank robber the combination to the vault, say, and teaching English to a group of men who have come to this country without the proper legal paperwork.

Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.