All American Families Have Stories of Illegal Immigration.

The article emphasizes the similarities between contemporary migrants and those from previous generations, highlighting the complexities of migration history. It recounts personal anecdotes, including the author's interactions with his wife's grandmother, who romanticized her family's past while overlooking their illegal migration. The narrative contrasts historical leniency in immigration laws with today's stricter regulations, illustrating how past migrants often engaged in similar illegalities as current ones. The piece argues that forgetting these shared experiences can lead to harmful stereotypes and policies against modern migrants, suggesting that acknowledging this history is crucial for understanding the ongoing migrant crisis. [Extracted from the article]