America’s Immigration Crisis: A Story of Violence and Strength of Character

Read Time:4 Minute, 33 Second

Watching the hordes of seemingly ordinary people screaming at busloads of little kids, it is a struggle to keep in mind that rumors, misinformation, and the ancient blessing/curse of fear can combine into a perfect storm. But the search for mitigating factors can only go so far before it overlaps into excuse mongering.

sending-hopeful-immigrants-back-toward-the-trains-from-which-they-came-is-not-the-answer

Click here for the audio version of this article

It is true that those swept into an ugly tsunami of emotion are not representative of the national ideal. The likelihood is they are not representative of citizens at large. We can hope.

And we do see counter demonstrations, people of good will showing up in a testimony by presence that hatred of the helpless does not represent the heart and soul of the nation.

There are occasional absurdities in the mix. A congressional candidate who organized one protest offers emotional personal sympathy for the kids he reluctantly opposes. He saw the fear in their faces as they rode by.

I was able to actually see some of the children in the buses and the fear on their faces. This is not compassion. When you have a rule of law and a secure border and citizenship and an immigration and naturalization process that works, you don’t see this.

– Adam Kwasman (R-AZ), July 15, 2014

When told the kids were local school children on their way to a YMCA summer camp, he fumbles for a response. He is sure he saw facial fear. It must be because those local kids share the fears of adults at the waves of scary immigrant children.

Conservatives sense a political or ideological opportunity. The President is responsible, they reason. He supports a bi-partisan Dream Act that would offer a way to citizenship to those who were brought here as small kids, then raised here as Americans. The logic balloons into a case of false but completely predictable global rumor, a rumor with appeal to anyone in economic destitution. If you send your kids to America, they will become Americans.

Facts do tend to get lost in the shuffle. If the global rumor theory held true, other countries in Latin America with similar economic conditions would experience a similar exodus of kids on their way here. But only those few countries with a surge of violence and with corrupt or non-functional governments are increasing the flow.

Reporters backtrack some of the stories and verify. Rather than children fleeing from an unhealthy general environment, they discover specific, credible threats against individual kids. Parents who have already lost sons or daughters who were targeted and killed by gangs, react when their surviving children are then targeted.

The evidence so far does not fit economic motivation. As parents send their children on a potentially deadly journey with a strong possibility those children will not survive, it turns out to be less because of opportunity and more because of desperation. The possibility of death on the journey is outweighed by the near certainty of death at home.

A procedure advanced by a Republican administration, passed by Congress, then signed into law by President Bush, mandates investigation into immigrant claims of physical danger. The process is slowed by a shortage of legal staff and judges to hear cases. President Obama asks for millions to recruit and hire those needed to speed up the process. His request combines those millions with the billions Congressional conservatives have demanded to increase border security.

Congressional conservatives say no.

Demands to increase border security are themselves misplaced, at least in these circumstances. The arriving children are not caught by border agents. They seek out those agents and surrender. Increasing border security would be effective only if we want to give these children the opportunity to surrender multiple times.

The bottlenecks are in adjudicating claims of violent threats, and the need to feed and shelter those kids in a safe and humane environment.

Conservative arguments against following the law approach tragic-comedy. One Congressman who has visited the centers now holding children says he has a way of cutting through established procedures. You don’t need complicated hearings and investigation to find out who should go and who should stay. The Congressman can pretty much tell by looking.

It’s very heart-wrenching as a father to see that — mothers with their babies. I also saw some 17-year-olds that I thought looked more like a threat to coming into the United States.

– Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman, House Homeland Security Committee, July 13, 2014

Other Republicans insist that they regard pretty much all of the influx of children as dangerous gang members.

We can hope the national character is not reflected by such proposals. The mobs and the public officials who react to them do say something about individual character.

Two conservative members of the United States Senate suggest the cheapest solution of all. Forget all those namby pamby procedures. Push aside any concerns about law and justice here, and the violence where the children grew up. Just put every little kid on a plane back where they came from.

Period.

If they are met on the tarmac by the same gang members they were running away from, well death is part of life, isn’t it? If a few kids, some as young as 8, are killed, we should take the long view.

After all, life is filled with little trade offs.

This article is a collaboration between MadMikesAmerica and FairandUNbalanced.com

About Post Author

Burr Deming

Burr is a husband, father, and computer programmer, who writes and records from St. Louis. On Sundays, he sings in a praise band at the local Methodist Church. On Saturdays, weather permitting, he mows the lawn under the supervision of his wife. He can be found at FairAndUNbalanced.com
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9 years ago

I may be wrong but I believe in order to become a US citizen you have, amongst other things, to swear allegiance to the flag and the country. That, I suspect is why so many immigrants to America actually ‘feel’ American.

Over in Blighty some come in (certainly not all but, in the case of Africa and Asia a significant number), ignore British values, live ‘their way’ oblivious to whether ‘their way’ is acceptable and that breeds racism and hatred from some of the indigenous population.

If you are an immigrant you MUST respect the values of the country you are coming to live in. That should be sacrosanct.

Australia has the best system. “Got skills we need?” Yes – in you come. No – Off you go.

Mind you, when it comes to kids surely everyone can make kids feel welcome no? Kids will soon adapt to their new environment and they’ll be American before they know it!

Pennyjane Hanson
9 years ago

if they come as refugees: the human in us should want to cradle and comfort them. we should see to their immediate needs and share their burden until the circumstances that caused them to be refugees are successfully countered.

if they come as opportunists: the american in us should welcome them with open arms. we should see to their immediate needs and produce real data to help guide us to where and how that opportunism can best benefit themselves and our society.

if they come for welfare: the christian in us should take pity on them, see to their immediate needs and help them gain the self esteem necessary to become productive citizens.

if they come to share in our wonderful culture of political diversity: the psychiatrist in us should have their heads examined.

Mrs. Beverage
9 years ago

If we treat these children like gang members , they will be. If we welcome them and take care of them during this crisis , they’ll be grateful for the rest of their lives. Saying they’ll all be gang members is like saying that anyone who had crisis as kids or who grew up in poverty will commit crimes. As a person who grew up dirt poor with crazy parents and a bad environment, paid for her own college, and now works for a Fortune 500 company now, I can assure you that this isn’t the case. Lets help these kids and any other honest people who want to be here. Were saving children’s lives. I don’t see what the problem is. No person should be illegal until they vandalize or hurt someone. Great example for the rest of the world, right wing idiots.

Reply to  Mrs. Beverage
9 years ago

Very true. Labeling is more than a theory. It’s a fact.

9 years ago

“breitbarting” a new term! Well done Mr. Deming.

J B
9 years ago

It doesn’t seem that hard to me. Secure the border: fence, patrol, however.
I believe in contribution theory. The US contributed to the problem and must fix the border. The people here now deserve a path to citizenship. A chance to contribute, pay taxes, and live without fear.

Why? Many reasons.

Did they come here illegal? Yes, but ye with no sin cast the first stone. Let them have a chance, hope, and a path. Lack of fear, proper motivation, and chance to contribute may surprise the doubtful. Deport the violent offenders, reward the hard workers.

By doing nothing, nothing is solved. Fear is growing….

Everything we do in this world we are accountable for and will answer after. A crazy thing is we will
Judge ourselves the harshest…and we will live the fear and pain we create for others eventually. I’m not religious and don’t preach a dogma or try to minister, just a basic truth I strive for.

Thanks for reading. Smile and make one persons day better today just because!

J B

Pennyjane Hanson
9 years ago

i’m glad i’m a girl. girls are allowed to cry and there is nothing i’d rather do right now.

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