Circumstance Is Not A Crime
Immigrants Are People, Not Aliens
Today was a good day.
Me, my wife and three kids loaded into the minivan and drove into the city. We bought fresh fruit and cookies at Eastern Market, walked up and down the Detroit Riverwalk, rode the merry-go-round, made an impromptu lemonade stand, closed the athletic club pool down and capped the night off with pizza.
Today was a good day.
Until…I sat down and read about the tragedies unfolding in my own backyard. The AP news just released an article detailing the horrific conditions of an ICE detention facility in Texas. In the reading of one sentence, the joy I felt from today soured.
“We don’t get enough water. They put out a little case of water, and everyone has to run for it.”
These are words spoken from a 16-year-old describing just a glimpse of the life she is currently living at a family ICE detention center.
A FAMILY detention center!
Family…
Today was a good day.
“One family with a young boy with cancer said he missed his doctor’s appointment after the family was arrested following their attendance to an immigration court hearing. He is now experiencing relapse symptoms, according to the motion.”
“Another family said their 9-month old lost over 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) while in detention for a month.”
I don’t even have to add context to these quotes. As the article continues, each description somehow gets worse.
And yet, here I am with a full belly, sitting on my couch, comfortable, asking myself why? By circumstance, I am fortunate. By circumstance, I was born from a middle-class family in the Midwest. By circumstance, I was born white.
And they weren’t.
And that’s their crime.
Day after day, videos are being posted online showing brown, Hispanic, Spanish-speaking people being profiled and rounded-up by ICE Agents. Cowards who hide their faces while they invade businesses, homes, schools, graduations, sporting events and courthouses in search of people who “don’t belong.”
Millions are forced to live in fear. Even worse, they are being stripped of their livelihood. Cast into the shadows of their homes, they can no longer work, they can no longer grocery shop, they can’t go to the doctor, they can’t live.
If caught, they are dehumanized. Labelled as “illegal aliens,” these human beings are sent to camps so inhumane that even animals would be considered mistreated.
All this because they crossed a border.
Meanwhile, our leaders laugh. Our leaders take photo ops in front of prisoners depicting themselves as “strong.” Our leaders chase quotas of 3,000 arrests per day. Our leaders say these “illegal aliens” aren’t entitled to due process, which is a 14th Amendment right. Our leaders flat-out say they want a country filled only with people who “look like them.”
Sound familiar? We’ve seen inhumane treatment like this before in the not-so-distant past and we’ve always avowed to never let it happen again. Yet, here we are.
If that’s not enough, now we learn that aside from people being deported to El Salvadorian hell-prisons, they have to experience hell on American soil.
Fighting for water?!
Who are we? What are we?
If you still support this, I ask how?
If you are doubling-down in fear of "I-told-you-so's,” don’t. We are way past that now. We’ve been past that for a while.
This administration is stripping humanity from men, women and children. If we become numb to this then our humanity is being taken too.
It’s not a hard concept to learn. It’s one I remember hearing constantly as a kid growing up in the 90’s:
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
“Imagine walking in their footsteps.”
“Lean on me.”
For me, it’s hard to go to bed smiling knowing kids with cancer are deteriorating under my government’s care. It’s hard to lay my head down knowing ICE agents are tricking people to show up for fake immigration hearings to arrest them. It’s hard to fall asleep while my mind replays the cries of children being ripped from their parents.
Meanwhile, my kids are safe asleep…For now.
“Homegrowns” are next. War is on the horizon with Iran. Politicians are being murdered with no solidarity from this administration. Transgender people are being outed from the military and told they don’t exist. Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating a harrowing end to slavery, is being mocked. And, all those who resist and speak-out are being called “radical-left lunatics.”
Dehumanize. Desensitize. Blame. Make enemies. That’s their play.
Don’t believe it. Caring for humanity is not partisan. And we cannot be silent. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” I always believe it is never too late, but the longer we wait, the farther we fall, and the higher the climb back.
So, as you hug your kids tonight, hug them tighter. Reminisce about the good day you had. And remember, that’s all anyone wants. We all deserve that regardless of where we come from. Immigrants especially deserve better from the country built by them.
Today was a good day for some.
Let’s make tomorrow a better one for all. Here are some things you can do to take action:
Call your senators and representatives. The Five Calls app is a great way to do this. Based on your location, it gives you numbers to your representatives, topics and talking points.
Use your voice. Talk with your friends and family. Post on social media. Protest.
Join organizations and donate. I donate to the ACLU because they fight in the courts for civil rights. Undivided is another good organization to get involved in. (Please feel free to comment other orgs you recommend.)
Vote. Midterms are going to be here quicker than you can imagine. Get involved. Help spread the word for candidates who will stand against injustice.
Peace and love,
Danny