I am a third-generation American citizen. My grandfather was born here, to immigrant parents who came from Alcamo, Sicily to the United States, looking for a better life. As an Italian-American and a Roman Catholic, he experienced job discrimination and prejudice, as the culture of the day stereotyped Italians a lazy and untrustworthy. My grandfather would rarely tell the stories of what life was like, as a first-generation American. He was hardworking, resilient, funny – and he shielded us from just how difficult his life was.

This week, I was deeply troubled by Congressman Nick Langworthy’s language at a media availability in Mayville on Tuesday, January 28th. At it, he said, “You have to ask yourself a simple question: ‘Do you stand for public safety, American sovereignty, and stopping the scourge of fentanyl? Or do you stand with the cartels?'”

This collapsed, simple binary – either you support law and order or you support drug-dealing, violent, criminal immigrants – simply does not reflect the complex human stories and complex policies that make up the reality of immigration in this country.

“Sure,” some argue, “but my family came into this country legally! These people aren’t following the process!” Joseph and Angela Milito – my great-grandparents – arrived and immigrated through Ellis Island. But there is no Ellis Island today; since that time, immigration law has only become more complicated. Spend some time researching the process to receive asylum in the United States, considering the question: Would I be able to navigate this process in a language and culture that is not my own?

Yet I personally know people who are following this incredibly lengthy and complicated legal process. If that is not a reflection of an American work ethic and a commitment to law and order, I don’t know what is. Even so, it is possible they may be disappeared in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid. Who will advocate for these legal asylum seekers, if they get caught up in ICE’s wide dragnet? While politicians insist that they are prioritizing the deportation of violent criminals, ICE offers no comment, transparency, or reporting on the majority of their activities – only the ones the support the narrative of deporting “violent criminals.”

Once, Grandpa did tell me about his American experience – only once – and that was for the sake of my education: I was in college, and he agreed to an interview for an oral history project. And I find the current political language equating immigrants with drug-dealers and criminals mirrors t his own experiences of discrimination and prejudice. Furthermore, this criminal-immigrant narrative negates the experience of the deeply committed, hardworking, family-oriented 21st-century immigrants whom I know and love. It dismisses all the contributions of immigrants, who have been key in increasing the population, workforce, economic vitality, and cultural vibrancy in cities like Erie or Buffalo.

If you, too, are disturbed by the dehumanizing actions and language that are currently at work in this nation – ignoring the reality of all the people who are seeking refuge and opportunity legally – consider writing a letter to Congressman Langworthy to express your disapproval. Urge him to be more nuanced and humanizing in his language about the people who come to this great country as immigrants. Urge him to exercise his Constitutional authority as a legislator to provide checks and balances on this exercise of executive power.

I do not value partisan politics. I do value law and order and due process. And I cherish the American Dream. I am the beneficiary of that dream. We, as a country, can do better.

Jessica Frederick is a Jamestown resident and curate for Children, Youth, and Families at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown.