“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
That passage, inscribed upon the base of the Statue of Liberty, has become a creed for our country. Those words welcomed over 12 million immigrants to the United States, most of us descending from the huddled masses who sought refuge in the land of the free.
Although Ellis Island shuttered its doors in 1954, there are still plenty of people crossing our borders in pursuit of a better life. Right now, all eyes are on the Mexican border where nearly 304,000 people were apprehended last year attempting to enter the United States illegally.
That figure is down 26 percent from 2016 and a far cry from its peak which hit 1.6 million in the year 2000.
Are there humans among them who wish to carry out acts of violence, traffic drugs, or otherwise do us harm? Absolutely. Just like there are U.S. citizens apt to do the same. One’s intentions are not defined by his or her passport.
But do you really believe those are the primary reasons hundreds of thousands of people are trying to enter our country? I don’t.
Like those who passed through Ellis Island, these migrants are risking everything for the chance of enjoying the freedoms we take for granted every day. And if they’re successful, what’s the reward? It’s not like life is easy for undocumented immigrants. I’m sure many of them live in constant fear and to them, that’s better than the life they left behind.
I am not condoning open borders. I understand this is a complex issue but I share the sentiment echoed by many world leaders. While we must uphold our laws, we must also be human and separating children from their parents is a far cry from that.
Attorney general Jeff Sessions cited the bible in support of zero tolerance immigration policies. His interpretation has been disputed by scholars far wiser than me.
I’d like to point out another passage from the same religious doctrine: “why should the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?”
I think anyone brazen enough to illegally cross our border, especially with children and family members in tow, is doing so because they’re desperate. Desperate for safe haven, desperate for a job, desperate for freedom, desperate for a better life, the one promised at the base of our most recognizable national monument.
And as an American, I don’t wish to see the lamp aside our golden door extinguished.