Letter to the Editor

Sent in April 18, 2019, unpublished, as far as I know

This morning I was quoted in an article regarding the influx of migrants at the Arizona border. I was overall disappointed in the article, as it seems the situation at hand was misrepresented. The influx of migrants at the border is not related to border security or policy. The influx is related to a much larger problem which is driving these migrants to leave their home countries and travel thousands of miles to get here, even at their own peril.

If only the public could hear their stories - stories of relatives murdered in front of them or disappearing at night; stories of youth being forced into gangs and the drug trade; stories of families trying to survive on less than $2 a day while paying off the local gang so they don't get hurt; and stories that are far, far worse. The migrants who come here don’t want to leave their homes, their countries, their families, but they are in a position where have no choice but to seek safety for themselves and more so for their children.

Despite news coverage and political statements to the contrary, these migrants are following a legal process. The only way to ask for asylum in the US is to be IN the country. Migrants who cross over frequently and immediately surrendered themselves. They weren’t caught “sneaking” into the country. They were surrendering themselves because they need asylum.

The migrants we receive at our shelter here in Tucson have been processed by ICE and have a credible claim for asylum. They are not “illegals”. They are not “criminals”. They are asylum-seekers. They are people in dire need of our help and support and care. When they arrive they are often hungry, tired and scared, and we surround them with love. We give them food, a shower, clean clothes, a safe place to sleep. We treat them with dignity and respect.

This is our duty, our responsibility, as a church who faithfully follows the words of Christ to welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked. But in a nation like ours, a nation of wealth and privilege, a nation of freedoms that these people can only dream of – is it not also OUR duty to help those who are less fortunate?

I speak of duty, but I should also speak of honor. It is an honor to be a part of the journey of asylum-seekers. It is an honor to hear their stories, to see their smiles as they finally begin to relax, and to give them hope for a brighter future. It is an honor to work beside volunteers who give of their own time and resources to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

This is a test of America’s character. Will we be a people who turn away those in need, wanting to protect “our own”, or will we be a people who will step up and help? Will we be a country that wants to label who qualifies as American and who does not, a country who dehumanizes and disregards those who are in need, or will we be a country that embraces, if not the words of Jesus, then the words written on very own Statue of Liberty, “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!”