Immigration from another angle

Last night on a MUNI bus ride home from the theater, I heard some "kids" (OK, they were twenty-somethings) talking very loudly because they must have assumed nobody would hear them (everyone on the bus seemed to have white iPhone/iPod earbuds on). I'm not sure if they were drunk or just oblivious or uncaring about their shared bus-riding company. Anyway, they were all talking about the times they had spent living and working abroad: two in Japan and one in Italy. From what I gathered, they had all graduated college or university in the U.S. and took different teaching jobs abroad for the international experience. Ah, good for them, I thought. But then they talked about how all the customs, religious practices, food, smells, clothing, and people were "weird," "gross," or "foul." And then the two who spent time in Japan talked about taking "side trips" to other Asian countries and never bothering to get tourist visas because they just called home to get money wired to them to use as border-crossing bribes. And all three talked about their fear that they might be tracked if they ever went back to those countries because they never reported their wages and never paid taxes to their host countries.

A few of the other bus riders seemed to shake their heads in disapproval so maybe they all heard the discussion despite the earbuds. And I started to think about all the immigrants who come to the United States from Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, Mexico, etc. Yes, I know there is concern for all the undocumented workers. But all of the immigrant and even visiting workers here seem to make it a point to respect U.S. customs, the American-English language, the food here, the popular culture here, etc. I've never heard any recent immigrant making fun of the people and habits in this country (even though coming here often means a change in class, a devaluation of earned education and work experience, a loss of familiar lifestyle and health practices like afternoon siestas and family dinners, etc.). In fact, most immigrants I know try to preserve their own cultural identity while still trying to "make it" here (which is not necessarily the same as trying to "assimilate"). And almost all of them (as far as I know) pay taxes too, and don't bribe their way around laws with cash wired in from abroad.

So I finished my trip home wondering: in all the xenophobia-driven debates about immigration in(to) the U.S., has anyone considered the balance of U.S. citizens abusing their immigrant statuses abroad? Is this another case of "clean your house first?" And what exactly is everyone so afraid of?

Maybe I'll start an "As (over)heard on MUNI" series...