This is my fist. I am bloody angry.
While the left is vociferously denouncing Trump and his administration for their zero-tolerance policy that separates families that enter the country without going through the proper channels prior of their arrival and while the current administration is in turn pointing the finger at Obama, we have a human tragedy unfolding that serves none of the protagonists. I used the phrase “families that enter the country without going through the proper channels prior of their arrival” because the various articles that I have read don’t make it quite clear whether these families are smuggled or sneak across the border and are caught then detained by “la Migra”, or whether they present themselves voluntarily at border/immigration facilities requesting asylum, or a combination of the two.
There is a huge difference between the terms “illegal immigrants” and “asylum seekers” and “refugees”. Each contains the kernels of an emotional and partisan response, the former calling forth the long arm of the law that seeks to punish crime, the latter the warmer welcome to the “wretched refuse”, and “huddled masses yearning to be free.” Hence my choice of ‘families that enter the country without going through the proper channels prior of their arrival’, which if more neutral, is also accurate.
The forceful (and deceitful) separation of children from their parents is traumatic. Whether it is caused by events such as a car accident or an unforeseen and catastrophic family situation and even when the child is well tended to, it can have long-term negative effects. When it is done purposefully, it is an act of cruelty. One thing to keep in mind is that very few parents would make the decision to uproot their entire family away from what they have always known, from their parents and cousins and uncles and aunts, from their community, from whatever non-portable belongings they may have, i.e. leave everything behind to make a perilous journey towards an uncertain destination with no guarantee of safe arrival, especially when they have young children, unless there were a compelling reason. If you are a parent yourself, I think you will agree with me. The other thing, and it is more general, is that most human beings are pretty resilient and will stay in a difficult or painful situation as long as they can tolerate it. So back to families, for a situation to be intolerable it must be pretty bad, and most of us who live in the western world and freak out when our internet is down cannot possibly imagine living in a zone where cartels rule through terror or where you have to sift through trash to feed and clothe your kids. So, before we go all high and mighty and judgmental on these families, let’s put things in perspective.
Some have argued that illegal families must be subjected to the same rules as citizens. That is all fine and dandy, and in principle I agree, but in that case, let there be due process as well. As far as the separation of an adult who is arrested in the company of a minor, yes, it is standard practice to separate them and hand over the child to social services or a family member while the adult is in the slammer. In this situation though, this is one policy where equality in front of the law is a false equality. Let me explain. When a citizen is arrested in or close to their community (where it is most likely to happen), the arrested individual is normally informed of the child’s whereabouts, and the child is normally kept within or close to the same community, not whisked away to places unknown and possibly shipped miles away. In the case of families entering the country illegally, the parent is often semi-literate, has no knowledge of US red tape, is in shock from having their child(ren) taken away often under false pretenses, is in detention, and the onus is on them to find out where their children are with insufficient resources and support while (hopefully just metaphorically) being spat on.
For those who point at Europe and justify their stance on immigration in the holy name of security and protection against terrorism, they need to realize that we are dealing with two totally different situations. Europe is plagued by an influx of approximately 75% young, lone, mostly muslim males. They are not “immigrants” in the sense of a group of people seeking opportunities to contribute to and integrate into the society of their new country. They are migrants, some on a quest to realize the Caliphate, the others because life in Europe is easier than in their home countries. To take it further, I would question the character of these males who leave behind their most vulnerable kin to fend for themselves: the women, the elderly, the children who depend on them for survival. These are not the kind of people we want in our country, and they need to be sent back unceremoniously with a big kick in the ass and told to roll up their sleeves and do the work that needs to be done in their own countries. (Which doesn’t mean that there aren’t genuine refugees in Europe and their situation, obviously, needs to be handled according to the conventions pertaining to refugees).
Meanwhile, the ferocity with which this situation is being exploited by both parties for political expediency is downright despicable. We have the “liberal left” posting pictures of crying children and children in cages and distraught parents. These are cheap emotional shots. If it is fair to say that there is probably a genuine concern for the welfare of these people, but the political points cannot be ignored. By the same token their disingenuousness must be denounced, inasmuch as the problem was already occurring during the Obama administration. Then we have the so-called champions of family and religious values that petty-mindedly and vindictively subject an already destitute population to further suffering by robbing them of what is most precious to them, namely their children.
I realize that there are more serious offenses committed against children and families, whether it is the killing of children in Gaza and Yemen, the trafficking and organized sexual exploitation of minors across the globe including in the US and in Europe, child slavery in Niger, child labor by Nestlé, Walmart, Apple, Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Disney, and the list goes on and on. Let this relativism not be an excuse for us not to act.
It is well within the purview of the current administration to find a solution that is consistent with the nature of the problem and not a way to push a political view. I am not suggesting that we give unlawful immigrants automatic refugee or legal immigration status. I am just suggesting that things can and should be done differently because this is a situation where the indiscriminate application of the law is inherently unjust, and a case can be made for a temporary suspension of protocols and policies separating families and a speedy reunification of the children with their parents pending more permanent and humane border policies.
A society that cannot deviate from the letter of the law to take in order to take into account the aberrations of a particular situation betrays the spirit of the law which it seeks to uphold.
If history has taught us anything, it is that we can justify the inhumane treatment of our fellow human beings, whether it be in the name of God, in the name of race, in the name of any supreme imperative. Yes, we can justify the cruel treatment of illegals in the name of the law, but that doesn’t make it right. When we chose righteousness over justice (which etymologically is acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good), when we strip others of their dignity and rip their hearts out or exploit such actions to make a point that seeks to make us look good, we are instrumental in degrading our own humanity. And that goes for the right and for the left.
