The Lies of Affluence by Wayne Jacobsen— Part III.

Lie #5:  Illegal immigrants deserve the hardships they endure for breaking our law.  They should just go home and get in line like everyone else.

What if they can’t go home because home has been here for so long there’s nothing to go back to?  For decades our society has exploited this group both in hiring them at lower wages and denying them access to the lowest rungs of the economic ladder.  I realize this is a failure of government to secure the border, and that appropriate measures must be taken to regulate immigration so it won’t overwhelm the culture.  Not every child born here should automatically become a U.S. citizen, especially when the parents are nonresidents.  We can argue those issues in other venues, but we let them come here, exploited their labor, and shown no will to make them return for multiple decades.  It is unjust to let them live in limbo while both political parties use their plight to garner votes when no one is actually serious about resolving the problem.

And those who are not willing to consider a pathway for legality for those who are living in the shadows of American society can’t possibly know anyone who came here in fear of their lives or simply to try and find a way to feed their children.  Let me tell you about the ‘illegal alien’ I know.  He came here twenty-five years ago because as young man he faced certain death if he didn’t join the drug cartel.  He works far harder than I do, and is constantly exploited by employers who increase his work while decreasing his pay, knowing he can’t complain.  He pays taxes and has never sought welfare or free medical care.  He keeps the laws more than I do because the consequences of being caught are so devastating.

His two daughters are U.S. citizens.  A few years ago, he sold everything he had to pay $18,000 to an attorney who promised him a way to get a green card, only to see the lawyer arrested a few years later for selling fraudulent documents.  No human being deserves to be treated like this and our society should no longer ignore his presence or how we have exploited him.  There is enough in America to absorb these extra people.  They are already here.  They are already contributing, and if they haven’t broken the law in other ways we should fight for their inclusion in our society at some level.  Even the Old Testament encourages kindness and compassion for the stranger or alien.  Oh, this may mean some of us will have to wait an extra six months before upgrading our iPhone, but is that too high a price to pay?

Lie #6:  I did something deserving to be born in a developed country with a comfortable lifestyle.  No one actually says this one out loud, but you can tell they believe it by how they look at others ‘less fortunate’ than them.  Born part way up the ladder of success, they can’t understand the challenges of those who struggle to even find the ladder or have access to its lowest rungs.

If where we were born, and what abilities and talents we have is a gift, wouldn’t we be more mindful of those who have less to start with and greater challenges to overcome to find a stable place in society?

{Editing and Italics Mine}  To be continued....

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
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