On April 20, 2018, a report was sent out by The New York Times titled, “Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S. Border.” The article stated that since October 2017, more than 700 refugee children had been separated from their parents after entering the United States. 

Photos circulated on social media of children crying as their parents are pulled away from them by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. The press shared stories of toddlers uniting with their parents and not remembering who they were. 

The United States was in shock. News outlets were swarmed with updates on the effects of the zero-tolerance policy, which calls for the prosecution of everyone who enters the United States illegally. Due to the terms of the policy, families were separated, parents were prosecuted and children were sent to relatives, a foster home or a shelter. Protests broke out all over the United States demanding that families be reunited.

In Portland, Ore., protesters camped out in front of the local ICE building, refusing to move until the zero-tolerance policy was revoked. Portlanders slept outside in tents and blocked ICE employees from exiting the premises. One night, they kept ICE staff from leaving for four hours. 

“If you … killed someone, okay, you’re going to prison, and you’re separated from your family,” says Grant High School senior, Alaralaine Holveck. “But if you are just trying to come to America, and your family is being separated because you’re trying to come to America, that’s not okay.”

The immigration debate has led to the questioning of American ideals and the foundation of the United States. With the current events in recent years, Americans and non-Americans alike are questioning what being American truly means.

The United States is diverse in its beliefs and its demographics; which is why identifying as American is not straightforward.

A freshman who chose to remain anonymous says, “There are so many perspectives and backgrounds that make up America, so I think it’s impossible to make a definition that encompasses all of that.”

While immigration has been a relevant topic in the United States throughout its history, in the past couple of years, it has become an increasingly pressing issue. 

On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on the admission of refugees and an immigration ban. The ban prohibited seven predominantly Muslim countries’ representatives from visiting the United States for 90 days, suspended Syrian refugees from entering the country indefinitely and all other countries’ refugees for 120 days. 

In 2018, President Trump mentioned an executive order to nullify the guarantee of citizenship by birthright, meaning that being born in the United States would no longer lead to automatic citizenship. In an interview with Axios, President Trump says, “We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits … It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.” 

From the beginning of his presidential campaign, Trump emphasized the importance of a permanent border wall between Mexico and the United States. Demanding more immediate action, President Trump declared a state of emergency on February 15, 2019, to access billions of dollars to build the border wall that Congress had previously declined to provide.

These events have sparked debate over whether or not people who have lived in America their whole lives but do not have a Green Card or are not citizens still have the right to live in the United States, and if they should be able to identify as American. 

The prerequisites for citizenship are complex and layered. In most circumstances, the individual must live in the United States for five years before gaining citizenship, though for some the process is much longer. However, automatic citizenship is granted to the children of citizens. 

Every adult that is being naturalized has to take a civics test, which is 10 questions pulled out of a pool of 100 possible questions. To pass they must answer at least six correctly. Questions can surround the amount of amendments in the Constitution, what stops one branch of government from holding too much power and cabinet-level position titles.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, over 44.5 million immigrants resided in the United States in 2017. The Current Population Survey shows that in 2018, immigrants and their United States-born children accounted for 28 percent of the population. While the majority of naturalized citizens were born in Mexico, the United States has people from virtually every country. 

The United States has a unique makeup of citizen’s origins in that almost all Americans, save Native Americans, can trace their lineage to another country. The diverse origination of Americans only increases the disparities in perspectives that make up the United States. 

“For me being American means to have great privileges many countries cannot have, and to be able to share our opinions openly. As well as being a place of refuge for those who need,” says sophomore Kate Punches. “I don’t think being American depends on your documentation status, but rather staying accountable for our country.

There are many sides to what it means to be American. Grant Magazine surveyed 101 students on what the title “American” means. Here are some of their responses.

Some student responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.