When injustice happens in a faraway place, it’s easier to look away.
This was the case when democracies heard rumors of Jewish people being massively deported to camps. Appointed Hitler opened the first camp, declared himself fuhrer, and secured the armed forces’ sworn allegiance within six months. We intervened approximately eight years later, only after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
For many, the American economy came first. For most, the reality of such inhumanity couldn’t be believed. Meanwhile, crimes against humanity escalated. The U.S. accepted refugees and helped end the war. However, if we had chosen intervention over isolation earlier, perhaps less than six million people would have been murdered.
Today’s orders for mass deportations are no longer far away from us small-town folks. CCNO has entered a contract with ICE to detain undocumented immigrants.
Some may say, “this isn’t like WWII camps. These are illegals. America first.” To that, I say, jails are for criminals. Immigrants who have committed crimes should be held accountable. However, entering the country without legal status is not a criminal offense. It is a civil offense. Civil offenses are disputed in courts and do not merit jail time.
CCNO will have no system in place for immigrants to seek legal advice and they expect to deport them after 30-45 days. Some immigrants are awaiting hearings. Some are refugees or seeking asylum. Others are on a long, broken path to citizenship. Their children (U.S. citizens) are in danger. Most work hard to contribute to our communities.
Are there still some truths that Americans can agree are “self-evident”? Is it true, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”? If so, our founders didn’t qualify this truth by saying “Americans” only. Perhaps, they were influenced by the Biblical admonition: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.”
Accepting mass deportation says much about the plight of our American conscience. Once a blind eye is turned toward “certain inalienable rights,” a slippery slope of unnecessary suffering follows. For example, detention camps now have new orders to detain children of migrant workers as well. This is trauma.
How close to home must injustice come before we understand: Our approach is not making America great. It’s making America wrong. It’s making America, un-American.
Kathleen Frey
rural Napoleon
One response
Perfectly said!!!!