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The America His Father Believed In
Shahid Haque’s fight for a more equitable Montana for immigrants, by Amy White

Excerpt: His father, who grew up in a rural village, was one of few in the region to go to medical school in the U.K. before obtaining a visa to come to the U.S. in the mid-’70s. “He was a big believer in Reagan- era politics, the idea that we are a melting pot, and that immigration was improving the country,” Haque says. “We’ve lost sight of that, but my dad really believed in a land of opportunity where people of all races and cultures come together.”

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[H]e’s noticed that people are often against immigration in the abstract only. “They’re against some unknown enemy they’re told exists,” he says. “But once they actually meet somebody, things change. I have farmers and ranchers as red as you can get who call me and want to talk about how we can help somebody through the immigration system because they know this person to be a hardworking, honest family man of good character. And what they’re surprised to learn is that oftentimes, there’s no good pathway to help because our immigration system doesn’t have an option.

I’d like us to get back to the real issue: Why are our immigration laws so restrictive? Why can’t we pass reform so that we can actually help people who would be a benefit to our country? I’d love to see the United States my father believed in.”