"Inscription on the Statue of Liberty"
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."
- Matthew 10:40-42
The Moral Failure of Immigration Reform: Are We Really Afraid Of Children?
by Jim Wallis 07-03-2014 | 3:51pm
Did you see the pictures from Tuesday in Murrieta, California?
Three buses were full of unaccompanied minors and mothers with children,
all fleeing violence in Central America. According to American
immigration officials, they were being taken by Homeland Security to a
U.S. Border Patrol Station for processing and eventual deportation—after
being flown to San Diego from Texas, where they had walked across the
U.S. border seeking safety. The buses of children were blocked by adults
yelling that they weren’t wanted here in the United States. Big angry
white men, holding signs the children couldn’t read, with angry faces
screaming at them in a language they didn’t understand—when they were
already alone and away from their families and home—would certainly make
children feel very afraid. Some of the kids were reportedly as young as
six years old.
The town mayor, Alan Long, said the children posed
a threat to his community and that he was “proud” of the demonstrators.
One hundred-and-fifty protesters waved American flags, chanted “USA!
USA!” and shouted to the scared children, "Go home—we don't want you
here." Totally blocked from reaching the processing center, the buses
turned around and left for another Border Patrol Station, where some of
the children were reportedly taken to a hospital for unspecified
treatment.
More than 52,000 unaccompanied children from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have walked across the U.S. border since last October—some, unfortunately, by way of human trafficking networks though Mexico. Thousands more have come with their parents. The surge has overwhelmed the system and become a very serious humanitarian crisis to which U.S. officials are scrambling to respond. But this is being politicized in Washington.
Incredibly, some Republicans have used this tragic situation as an excuse for why they scuttled immigration reform—when having a smart, fair, and humane immigration system in place would have helped avoid this crisis.
This horrible scene in California reminds me of an interaction during a talk I gave a few months ago on immigration.
It turned out to be the most important immigration talk I’ve given this year—and it was to my son’s fifth grade class. They were studying the subject and invited me to speak about it. First, we went through the long history of immigration in this country. All the children in my son’s class are part of our national history of people who chose to come to America (with the exception of those families forced by the chains of slavery). Next I told the students about our current problem of 11 million undocumented people living in uncertainty and fear for years and even decades, of families being separated, fathers and mothers from torn away from their children, and hardworking and law-abiding people being deported every day.
Looking very surprised, these students asked the obvious question, “Why don’t we fix that? Why doesn’t Congress change the system?”
I answered, “They say they’re afraid.”
The students looked even more confused and asked, “What are they afraid of?”
I paused to consider their honest question and looked around the room—the classroom of a public school fifth grade class in Washington D.C. I looked at their quizzical and concerned faces, a group of African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native American, European, African children. Then it hit me.
“They are afraid of you,” I replied.
“Why would they be afraid of us?” the students asked, shocked. I had to tell them.
“They are afraid you are the future of America. They are afraid their country will someday look like this class—that you represent what our nation is becoming.”
This multiracial, multi-cultural, and multi-national group of 11-year-olds now looked more confused than ever.
“They are afraid this won’t work,” I said. “Does it work?”
The children looked at each other, then responded with many voices, saying, “Yeah…Sure…Of course it works…It works great…It’s really cool!”
Together we decided that our job was to show the rest of the country that this new America coming into being is, in fact, really cool.
Our long battle for comprehensive immigration reform was recently officially ended in Congress by Speaker John Boehner. The leader of the Republican House of Representatives told the President that he would not allow a vote for reform to be brought up—even though it is widely believed that a vote to fix this broken system would pass were it to come up in the House and the Senate.
Speaker Boehner and his Republican leaders themselves admit this is only about politics. Most Americans of every political stripe believe the current system is untenable and must be fixed. A large coalition from the faith community, the business community, and law enforcement officials says that reform makes common sense, is good for the economy, is good for national security and public safety, is good for keeping families together—in short, is a moral imperative. But that is being obstructed by a vocal group of white conservative lawmakers who are motivated by political and racial fear and hatred. Many conservative Republicans have more or less admitted that those feelings are very present in the constituencies they represent. And the Republican leadership is unwilling to stand up to their fear of a more diverse American future.
This is political obstruction of the common good, and it is a moral failure. This week, in a meeting with President Barack Obama, faith leaders asked the President to do everything he can, within his Constitutional authority, to “relieve the suffering” of all the families and children who will continue to be devastated. Let me say this very clearly: Those who have morally failed to fix this broken system must dare not now try to prevent executive orders to protect the people we love, who have become part of “us,” and whom Christ asks us to protect. If Republicans continue to ignore and cause the suffering of all “the strangers” among us, they will have to answer to the faith community.
Jim Wallis is president of Sojourners. His book, The (Un)Common Good: How the Gospel Brings Hope to a World Divided, the updated and revised paperback version of On God’s Side, is available now. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.
Two young girls on a bus. Image courtesy Blend Images/shutterstock.com.
More than 52,000 unaccompanied children from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have walked across the U.S. border since last October—some, unfortunately, by way of human trafficking networks though Mexico. Thousands more have come with their parents. The surge has overwhelmed the system and become a very serious humanitarian crisis to which U.S. officials are scrambling to respond. But this is being politicized in Washington.
Incredibly, some Republicans have used this tragic situation as an excuse for why they scuttled immigration reform—when having a smart, fair, and humane immigration system in place would have helped avoid this crisis.
This horrible scene in California reminds me of an interaction during a talk I gave a few months ago on immigration.
It turned out to be the most important immigration talk I’ve given this year—and it was to my son’s fifth grade class. They were studying the subject and invited me to speak about it. First, we went through the long history of immigration in this country. All the children in my son’s class are part of our national history of people who chose to come to America (with the exception of those families forced by the chains of slavery). Next I told the students about our current problem of 11 million undocumented people living in uncertainty and fear for years and even decades, of families being separated, fathers and mothers from torn away from their children, and hardworking and law-abiding people being deported every day.
Looking very surprised, these students asked the obvious question, “Why don’t we fix that? Why doesn’t Congress change the system?”
I answered, “They say they’re afraid.”
The students looked even more confused and asked, “What are they afraid of?”
I paused to consider their honest question and looked around the room—the classroom of a public school fifth grade class in Washington D.C. I looked at their quizzical and concerned faces, a group of African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native American, European, African children. Then it hit me.
“They are afraid of you,” I replied.
“Why would they be afraid of us?” the students asked, shocked. I had to tell them.
“They are afraid you are the future of America. They are afraid their country will someday look like this class—that you represent what our nation is becoming.”
This multiracial, multi-cultural, and multi-national group of 11-year-olds now looked more confused than ever.
“They are afraid this won’t work,” I said. “Does it work?”
The children looked at each other, then responded with many voices, saying, “Yeah…Sure…Of course it works…It works great…It’s really cool!”
Together we decided that our job was to show the rest of the country that this new America coming into being is, in fact, really cool.
Our long battle for comprehensive immigration reform was recently officially ended in Congress by Speaker John Boehner. The leader of the Republican House of Representatives told the President that he would not allow a vote for reform to be brought up—even though it is widely believed that a vote to fix this broken system would pass were it to come up in the House and the Senate.
Speaker Boehner and his Republican leaders themselves admit this is only about politics. Most Americans of every political stripe believe the current system is untenable and must be fixed. A large coalition from the faith community, the business community, and law enforcement officials says that reform makes common sense, is good for the economy, is good for national security and public safety, is good for keeping families together—in short, is a moral imperative. But that is being obstructed by a vocal group of white conservative lawmakers who are motivated by political and racial fear and hatred. Many conservative Republicans have more or less admitted that those feelings are very present in the constituencies they represent. And the Republican leadership is unwilling to stand up to their fear of a more diverse American future.
This is political obstruction of the common good, and it is a moral failure. This week, in a meeting with President Barack Obama, faith leaders asked the President to do everything he can, within his Constitutional authority, to “relieve the suffering” of all the families and children who will continue to be devastated. Let me say this very clearly: Those who have morally failed to fix this broken system must dare not now try to prevent executive orders to protect the people we love, who have become part of “us,” and whom Christ asks us to protect. If Republicans continue to ignore and cause the suffering of all “the strangers” among us, they will have to answer to the faith community.
Jim Wallis is president of Sojourners. His book, The (Un)Common Good: How the Gospel Brings Hope to a World Divided, the updated and revised paperback version of On God’s Side, is available now. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.
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ResourcesIMMIGRATION : GET INVOLVED
As Christians, we should
stand with our immigrant neighbors and pledge our support for them as
they pledge their allegiance to our nation and it’s future. In how we
are to treat one another, through community and the policies our
community adopt, there is a clear biblical imperative.
http://youtu.be/IzQ4qqS5Xko
Sojourners has released a
powerful video telling the story of Pastor Juan Luis Barco, an
undocumented minister following God’s call and faithfully serving a
congregation. We especially want elected officials like Rep. King and
those who share his views to hear this message, so we launched the video
as a TV ad running across his district.
Given the obvious benefits
of, and broad public support for, immigration reform, why are many
arch-conservatives in the House of Representatives refusing to address
the issue in a serious way? The answer may point to an issue that we
still hesitate to talk about directly: race.
For people of faith this
is not a political issue, but a moral one. And for Christians, how we
treat 11 million undocumented people, the "strangers" among us, is how
we treat Christ himself.
by Jim Wallis
What I have heard after visiting 18 cities in six weeks is that people around the country believe that nothing can happen in Washington, D.C. They are basically right. So I am very grateful today to report the one exception.
What I have heard after visiting 18 cities in six weeks is that people around the country believe that nothing can happen in Washington, D.C. They are basically right. So I am very grateful today to report the one exception.
About Sojourners Immigration
In Deuteronomy, God tells the Israelites: You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (10:19). Having experienced life as immigrants in a foreign land, God’s people were now called to offer love and welcome to the immigrants among them. Jesus reiterates this call to radical hospitality in the New Testament (Matthew 25:35).The United States is a nation of immigrants. While we come from different backgrounds, our country’s strength is the ability to unite together around common goals. Yet, our immigration laws prevent immigrants from using their gifts to improve our communities and grow the economy. Instead of “welcoming the stranger,” the current system leaves families living in fear and prevents young people from achieving their dreams.
Sojourners believes Christians are called to change this. Through our work with groups like the Evangelical Immigration Table and the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, we are articulating the biblical witness for immigration reform and encouraging our political leaders to take action. By working together, we believe the faith community has a historic opportunity to help create a road map to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans.
Follow Sojourners Immigration
From the Magazine & Blog
People know. Not just
Americans, but the entire globe. People know that the founders didn't
mean it then, nor does this nation mean it now.
The horrible events in
Murrieta, California on Tuesday reminds of the most important
immigration talk I’ve given this year—the one I gave to my son’s fifth
grade class.
The personal stories of
immigrants who are facing the unintended consequences of our countries
broken immigration policies are often left out of the national debate.
'The Stranger' offers just a few illustrations of the millions of lives
that are negatively impacted by our immigration laws.
Many people like to point out
that people should just do things the “right way.” While I agree with
the premise of this statement, the likelihood of success for many people
of color is slim to none. The reality is that people of African descent
are not always given the same opportunities as those from other
countries.
As nine of us sat in MP Jamie
Briggs’ office, we shared our hopes and dreams for the impact of what
we were taking part in. Beforehand all agreed, not only did we want to
draw attention to children who continue to suffer in detention, we
wanted to win over those we came into contact with. I believe we did.
- 1 of 122
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| Thu Jul. 10, 2014 5:59 PM EDT
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) developed the TV ads, as well as posters and marimba-infused radio spots, as part of its million-dollar Dangers Awareness Campaign. Rolled out shortly after Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Guatemala in June, the campaign is an attempt to counter rumors that unaccompanied kids will be allowed to stay in the United States. The ads emphasize that the journey is extremely dangerous and that children won't get legal status if they make it across the border.
The campaign will run for 11 weeks, CBP spokesman Jaime Ruiz told the Associated Press. "We want a relative that is about to send $5,000, $6,000 to a relative in El Salvador to see this message and say, 'Oh my God, they're saying that the journey is more dangerous,'" Ruiz said. "We try to counter the version of the smuggler."
Here's the other televised PSA, in which two silhouettes—a would-be migrant and a smuggler—discuss heading north, the smuggler turning increasingly aggressive and his shadow occasionally turning into that of a coyote, the slang word for a smuggler:
http://www.dvidshub.net/video/347904/psa-sombras-guatemala-30#.U79EHbH-XCI
This type of campaign isn't anything new. For years, the Mexican government has produced ads about the dangers of walking through the Arizona desert, and several years ago the Department of Homeland Security, as part of CBP's Border Safety Initiative, distributed CDs to Latin American radio stations with sad songs aimed at slowing immigration from the south. With so many variables at play, it's virtually impossible to measure their effect.
But with more than 57,000 unaccompanied kids apprehended in the United States since October—a situation that CBP head R. Gil Kerlikowske called "difficult and distressing on a lot of levels" when speaking to members of the Senate homeland security committee on Wednesday—the government seems willing to try anything.
