Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.

—Louis Pasteur

These are the dog days when sluggishness, inactivity and uncertainty reign—a holding pattern that could test the patience of Job.

The great immigration debate of our time has been shelved for next year. With so many problems the country faces, foremost among which is the economy, immigration has been placed in the back burner. But when the time comes, the polarity of public opinions about immigrants will be sharply defined in the halls of Congress as well as the hubbub on the internet and loudly on podcasts, radio and television airwaves. It has always been a love-hate relationship. In between are those who barely tolerate immigrants but will remain quiet for fear of being labeled "racist" even if they grudgingly, quietly acknowledge themselves to be the progeny of earlier immigrants who have been blessed with the slightly better fortune of having ancestors who gave them a headstart several generations ago.

One thing is clear in all these discussions. The United States, like any other country on earth, has the right to defend its borders and lay down and enforce the parameters for those who choose to live and work here and do whatever is necessary within the confines of what is human, employ every conceivable resource at its disposal and exercise this inalienable right to preserve its sovereignty and way of life. No other security concern is more important than self preservation, at this time.

Whatever crystallizes in all these heated and passionate discussions and resultant, purportedly patriotic movements that is a response to a "call to arms" because of a perceived imminent threat, it is clear that the bars have been raised higher and that the new immigrant, no matter where he comes from, whether he came by plane, survived a leaky boat or scaled a wall, will face even tougher challenges and must therefore learn to navigate a consequently tougher way of life. There is no other option than to morph into a savvy survivalist. In an era of dwindling resources and a string of seasons gripped by fear and terror after the horror of 9/11, the welcome mat for the immigrant is practically gone. The new immigrant way of life will demand so much from him that survival in the first ten years will require a highly flexible life strategy that must help him adapt to a society which is, at best, becoming increasingly ambivalent about its feelings to the new arrival. In some areas of the country, particularly in the East and along the Mexican border, there is intense hostility borne out of fear, justifiable or not, that the country is being overrun by another.

For the new immigrant, here are some tips learned from others who have figured it out, that might be of help.