Immigrant Valley

No Greater Purpose, No Greater Evidence of God

Recently I posted this picture on FaceBook with the assertion that "Our nation's family separation policy was, and continues to be a moral failure."  To be clear, I am referring to the recent immigration enforcement policy of the United States to forcibly separate children from their parents when they illegally cross the Southern border of the U.S.  Several of my friends have pushed back on my assertion, and I feel the need to explain my feelings further.

First, let me briefly discuss my credentials, and what this is not about.  I am a conservative independent.  I voted for Reagan and the Bush boys.  I am not a Snowflake, but I am a Christian.  I did not vote for Trump, but this is not about Trump.  I am not against immigration laws, nor the fair enforcement of immigration laws.  However, I am also not against immigrants, and I support the fair, just and humane treatment of all people, including immigrants -- and even illegal immigrants.

One point of pushback is that the people who are being forcibly separated from their children are "breaking the law."  We are talking here, generally, about people crossing the borders of countries.  We are not talking about, for example, killing another person, stealing large amounts of money at gun point, or some other heinous crime warranting long imprisonment.  This "crime" of which we speak is more like a misdemeanor crime.  Yes, it is "breaking the law" to drive over the speed limit.  Yes, it is "breaking the law" to fish without a fishing license.  Yes, it is "breaking the law" to buy or use certain "banned" things.  And yes, it is "breaking the law" to cross the U.S. border without permission and at a place which is not a designated point of entry.

I grew up in Reedley, California. Reedley is in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley.  I once started to write a book titled "Immigrant Valley" loosely fashioned on my early memories. Growing up in Reedley, I got to know many German/Russian Mennonites, farmers mostly, who crossed many borders of other countries, sometimes legally and sometimes illegally, to flee persecution and seek a better life in the United States.  Most of them were successful, well off, and well regarded.  Their stories of illegally crossing borders, sometimes at peril of death, were regarded mostly as stuff of folklore; their feats and bravery were admired and celebrated.  I knew their children, too -- went to school with them.  They were my friends.  Their families were fine, upstanding Christian families, central to our community.  Nobody I knew ever argued that it would have been morally right or justifiable to forcibly separate those families because they "broke the law" in crossing borders.

My late friend, Nick Friesen, was a 14 year old boy, living with his family in Russia when the Russian Revolution broke out.  His family chose to flee Russian persecution by driving a horse and sled at night over a frozen river on the Southern border of Russia into China.  They faced death by shooting for trying to leave Russia, and entered China illegally.  From China, they applied for and were granted legal entry into the U.S.  At Ellis Island, each adult had to show that they had a certain amount of money to support themselves (I don't remember the amount).  Between all of them, they only had enough money for one person to pass, so one would show the money and then pass it back.  They all got through the Ellis Island check point on one stack of bills.  I admired them for their lawlessness and chutzpah.

I got to know many other "lawbreaking" immigrants while growing up in Reedley.  Most of them were Mexican, and most of them worked on the farms of the "lawbreaking" immigrants from Germany and Russia.  They were my friends, too.  Many of them, and their children, are now also successfully integrated into "our" United States life.  Like the German and Russian farmers, many Mexican immigrants are farmers and their children are professionals in all walks of life.  Most of us fear God, pay our taxes, obey most of the laws we are subjected to, and contribute to our mutual well being.  Most of us try to treat others as we would want to be treated, because, well that is what we believe God has told us to do.

All of this is not to say I don't think we should have immigration laws.  We should, and we do.  And what is the point of having a law if you don't enforce it?  I am not against the fair enforcement of laws, although there are many laws and penalties in the U.S. and California I don't agree with.  What I am against is mistreating people, and in particular, mistreating children, for the sole sake of intimidating them, and others like them, from attempting to cross our borders.

Before the Civil War, it was "illegal" in the United States for certain black "people" -- chattle, really -- just slaves -- to leave their master-owner.  Those who did were whipped, tortured, and killed, to discourage them and to set an example and intimidate others against "breaking the law."  Slave children were separated from their parents and sold.  This conduct on our part, I believe, was cruel and wrong and a moral failure within our great Nation.  One of many.

In the same way, I believe forcibly separating immigrant children from their immigrant parents is cruel and wrong and immoral when it is not a necessary thing for us to do to enforce our immigration laws.  Most people who are apprehended after crossing our borders illegally are deported.  Okay.  Sometimes due to the time it takes for legal processes there is a need to "detain," i.e. imprison them.  Okay.  Heretofore we have had a policy of  detaining families together, and generally when they have been deported, they have been deported together.  

I get it that some of us are angry and upset about illegal immigration, disgusted with Congress for not doing anything, and worried about the future of our Country and our communities. However, our recent policy of family separation at the border is designed solely to punish and intimidate those who would attempt to cross our borders illegally.  In many cases, no thought or concern has been given to if, how, and whether a reunification of the children with their parents could occur.  I can only imagine the anguish of both the parents and the children who have suffered these forced separations.  I simply cannot accept that crossing a border illegally is the kind of "breaking the law" we would use to justify this kind of mistreatment of real people,