Suza: Pondering everything chaotic in the face of the war on immigrants

USA Today

07-02-2025

Walter Suza
Special to the Ames Tribune
The walk was meant to provide some serenity, yet thoughts on the war on immigrants swirled inside my head.
Winter was not helping. It accelerated air over the icy waters, gusting it through the trees making dry tree limbs whistle, slamming it in my face like the breath of Boreas, Greek god of the cold north wind.
The chilling impact added pins and needles to my thoughts of nations being punished for refusing deportees, federal spending being frozen, foreign aid being killed, DEI being terminated, Black History Month being erased. Then giving a white African American – an immigrant and one of the world's richest men – the power to lock government staff out of the federal computer system and gain access to its data.
What in the world?
Some are convinced the United States will be more respected for this new way of governance.
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More:Suza: Dealing with feeling powerless amid war on immigrants
Earning respect by cruelty only deepens the wound in the soul of our nation. It would be foolish to think the damage would be quick to fix. Yet placing the entire blame on Donald Trump misses an important fact: Trump won because millions like all that he is doing, including Project 2025.
Accepting this reality is the first step toward healing.
Acceptance didn't help either.
'But immigrants are the cogs in the engine that is powering the United States to remain one of the most prosperous nations in the world!' I screamed in silence. 'And – by the way – all of us, every person other than Native Americans, are immigrants!'
Despite my frustration, I still believe that immigrants make our nation great. Let's consider those who won the Nobel Prize. According to the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University, about 35% of the Nobel Prizes between 1901 and 2023 were won by immigrants.
This cadre of esteemed, accomplished, outstanding, awesome, brilliant, some of the smartest humans have increased our appreciation for the miracle of life, the mystery of DNA, the complexity of genetics, the math in economics, the genius in literature, the priceless in peace and the marvel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Like Har Gobind Khorana, who was born in Pakistan. He attended doctoral and postdoctoral education in England and Austria, worked in Canada, immigrated to the United States in 1960, and became a naturalized citizen.
Khorana's research at the Institute for Enzyme Research at the University of Wisconsin and later at MIT helped decipher the genetic code, which has made it possible to apply gene therapy to address human diseases. Khorana was awarded the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Robert Holley and Marshall Nirenberg.
'That someone with such a humble background could rise to become an icon of molecular biology is a testament to his extraordinary drive, discipline and striving for excellence," read his obituary in the scientific journal, Nature.
Another esteemed scientist, Sir Richard J. Roberts, won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Phillip A. Sharp for their discovery of split genes. When Roberts won the Nobel Prize, the English biochemist was affiliated with a company based in Massachusetts, involved in developing innovative products for the life sciences industry.
I am still in awe that five years ago Roberts accepted my invitation to speak in my genetics class and give a lecture to the broader public. Roberts' work increased our understanding of genetics and further enabled the application of DNA technology to study human diseases, plant physiology and improve crops and farm animals.
Children of immigrants have also made this nation great. Alan Heeger who was born in Sioux City, Iowa, must not be forgotten. His biography states that 'The Heeger family came to Sioux City (Iowa) from Russia as Jewish immigrants in 1904 when my father was a small boy (age 4).' Heeger's education journey led him to the University of Nebraska, where he earned a Doctor of Science in 1998. He won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering and producing conductive polymers used in myriad nerdy-techy stuff – things like 'anti-static and anti-corrosive materials, electronic integrated circuits, photonics, displays, lasers, sensors, photovoltaics, actuators and electromagnetic shielding, which can make military planes fly in stealth.
The story of Khorana, Roberts, Heeger – and millions of other immigrants – teaches me that immigrants are not just about laws. They are also about our willingness to harness the power of diversity to make our world a better place.
How, then, do we confront the ongoing war on immigrants? How do we help our fellow Americans appreciate the value of diversity? How not to quit after having realized that it will take a long time to repair the harm being caused?
We do not wait for the chaos to subside before beginning to repair the harm.
Repairing the harm begins with the admission that to the colonists, to the past and present immigrants, to all who are not Native Americans, this land was other people's land.
Yet we are all here. Not because we are more deserving to be here. Not because we are more American to be here. To be an immigrant in the United States is about something amazing.
Grace.
Walter Suza of Ames writes frequently on the intersections of spirituality, anti-racism and social justice. He can be contacted at [e-mail].