Karth: The president foments fear, sometimes with blatant untruths
My great grandparents fled to the U.S. from Europe. They loved their homelands, but threats to their survival made them take a leap of faith that landed them in the land of freedom.
I believe in borders, and in the rule of law, but see the administration’s immigration policies as mere campaign stunts, as lies told to fire up an audience. (Of course, Mexico is not paying for the wall.)
Many of those trying to cross our borders are seeking asylum from violence back home. Would any of us, with family members threatened, raped or killed, not flee? Even Mary and Joseph were asylum seekers, fleeing the threat of violence to their child.
Isn’t protecting one’s family a worthy family value?
We would have better relationships with our neighbors, and would act in a more humane and Christian fashion, if we looked long and hard at some of the reasons people cross our borders. We should work to find solutions, rather than punishing the victims.
The rules for seeking political asylum require a credible fear back home, an interview, a written application and a hearing before a judge, with no guarantee their application will be accepted.
The current administration is choosing to often ignore these rules, preferring to intimidate the already victimized asylum seekers. Children have been removed from their parents, often without the parent’s awareness of the process.
It is hard to believe that anyone, regardless of political party, would condone having a child removed to places unknown, without even a reassuring goodbye. In any other context we would call this kidnapping.
Thankfully a judge has intervened, but the end of the story is not written yet. What we know about the lifelong effects of trauma make it seem like a recipe for turning children into a new generation of PTSD victims, or even terrorists. How does that help the U.S.?
What are the administration’s motives for these policies? The president foments fear, sometimes with blatant untruths, so he can fire up his unquestioning supporters.
But there are also profits to be made. Billions of dollars in contracts have been awarded to companies that are involved in electronic monitoring, transportation of detainees, ankle bracelets, detention facilities. We taxpayers are footing the bill for an increasing number of profit-making contracts. Building of “the wall” is supported by many corporations, not for security but for billions in profits, while taxpayers foot the bill and are told we may not be able to afford Social Security and Medicare.
Are the policies racist? The president says he is an opponent of “chain migration,” the same program used to bring Melania’s parents to the U.S. He denigrates Mexicans, Haitians, Puerto Ricans, wishing we had more immigration from places like Norway. He thinks there are good people participating in violent racist demonstrations.
The president boasts that his supporters are so loyal they will stick with him even if he stood “in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody.” Instead of complimenting them, is he really ridiculing those who put their blind faith in him.
We need to pay attention to actions, not words.
A man of faith, family values? His actions say, not so much. And while he continues to fire up his audiences about security on our southern border, he is willing to do the bidding of Vladimir Putin.
Megan Karth
Waupaca