White Woman in the Barrio

The other day, I wrote about Arizona’s  polygamists and it got me to thinking about how undocumented immigrants aren’t the only  underdogs in the Grand Canyon state.

So-called “sister wives”  in some Arizona polygamist enclaves are  married off as teens to old men and then reassigned to other old men, all for the glory of God and, critics say, the political well being of whoever happens to be prophet at the time. The women go along with the degradation because they choose to believe it is their only route to eternal salvation.

Sister wives are American citizens. They could enjoy all sorts of rights and liberties if they wanted them.

But they don’t.

Undocumented immigrants, on the other hand, aren’t American citizens. In Arizona, they  can’t legally drive or work. College is out of the question for most, because they’re barred from paying in-state tuition, even though many undocumented kids have  lived here for most of their lives. They pay taxes, but enjoy few of the benefits afforded to taxpayers. You’d think these people would want to go back to their homelands after they get arrested for jaywalking or working or having broken tail lights, but many  choose to spend the equivalent of a whole year’s salary  to hire a lawyer to fight  deportation. They don’t want to leave, despite the hardships.

So who has the most American spirit?

The sister wives?

Or the undocumented immigrants?