Merriam-Webster defines the word “crisis” as an “unstable or crucial time in which a decisive change is impending.” My friends, we are living through an immigration crisis in this country.
You’ve probably heard the Trump administration is once again clamoring for funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. I don’t know about you, but when I see that on the news, it’s easy to forget about the human condition. Framing immigration as a seemingly endless budget battle or a tug-of-war between branches of our government sanitizes an extremely complex moral dilemma.
But we don’t have to look far to survey the reality of the situation. This week, hundreds of immigrant families were bused into Phoenix and Tucson by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, many dropped off at Greyhound bus stations. Detention centers are overloaded, and there’s no place for these people to go as they await their day in court. In many cases, they were abandoned with nothing but paperwork—no change of clothes, no money, no phones, no means of travel, no housing, no way to contact relatives.
Under new ICE policy, shelters weren’t even notified unless the children in a given family were under the age of 3 and the kids were traveling with their mothers.
Whether we build a wall or not, there are real human beings suffering right here in our own backyard. These people are not members of MS-13. They’re not drug smugglers or rapists or murderers. They’re terrified parents, wearing ankle bracelets and holding a fistful of documents written in their non-native tongue.
At their side? Children, scared and confused, relying on the compassion of church groups and local nonprofits for their next meal.
I’m so sick of the gaslighting over this issue. Do we all need to buy a DNA kit and trace our lineage, just to remind ourselves that we’re immigrants too?
Our parents or grandparents or their parents came here in search of a better life, and if you’re parked in front of a television or computer and watching or reading this, I dare say the chance they took paid off.
Why are we demonizing the next generation of immigrants? Are you genuinely concerned for your safety around an immigrant any more than you are around some other random stranger on the street?
These people need our help. They need our compassion. John F. Kennedy had it right. He said, “In a time of domestic crisis, men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.”
This is a crisis. It’s time to put parties and passports aside and be human.
Let’s make that “impending decisive change,” one that the next generation can be proud of. Your immigrant ancestors would appreciate it.