At Bunker Hill Community College, the topic of immigration to the United States has been on the minds of CCI Program participants. Boston is a diverse place to begin with, but because Bunker Hill recently enrolled over 800 international students, and because immigration policy consistently makes national news, it’s no wonder why the topic has piqued the interest of our international exchange students. CCI students at Bunker Hill found themselves asking the same question many U.S. citizens ask about immigration policy: Why is there such a divide on the issue of letting individuals from other countries enter the U.S.?
Bunker Hill Community College was lucky to host a Gubernatorial Candidate Forum that focused on Immigration in August 2014 where Donald Berwick (D), Martha Coakley (D), Evan Falchuk (Ind), Mark Fisher (R), Jeff McCormick (Ind) and Steve Grossman (D) were debating. CCI participants were able to attend this event to observe the candidates discussing their positions on the matter, and at the same time were able to witness the campaigning stage of the electoral process in the US. At the conclusion of the forum, the program participants met with a candidate, Steven Grossman (D), and were able to ask him their questions.
Mr. Grossman spent over 10 minutes discussing issues on immigration and other matters with the students as well as answering their questions. Many questions were addressed, and the interest in American politics was evident. CCI Program participants were amazed at the freedom of interaction with American electoral constituents, especially the genuine interest from the candidate about their backgrounds and opinions of the United States.
The program participants also witnessed the diverse representation of opinion from Republican, Democratic and Independent candidates when asked the same question. Mr. Grossman urged the students to, if possible, get involved in the politics of their home country, because it is the people that should have the say in what happens in their communities and in order to do so, they must vote and have an active interest in their political leadership.