Why are people fleeing their homes to come to the United States?

What Would You Do?

In this article( https://tinyurl.com/yako5fqn) from the Wall Street Journal, it is obvious why those poor people in the caravan that is headed for the United States must find a new home. In many of the countries south of us, families are scared to death of what will happen to them. The gang members are not coming here. They are forcing the innocent families to run from their homes.

In a recent article on PBS, a man was interviewed, incognito to protect him from the gangs in the area, and he told of how the thugs demand he pay them, yet he is afraid to go to work because he might be killed and his wife and children will have no one to take care of him.

I have to ask anyone who is so heartless that they would want our military to shoot them or harm them when they come to our border begging for asylum, what would you do in their place?

I remember when I was in school we learned that the United States of America, a country founded by people escaping Europe to find a better life, welcomed those who were doing the same. That is why we have the Statue of Liberty.

I don't think we should have open borders where anyone can walk into our country without being interrogated and made to follow protocol, but change the laws so when someone comes here, they have permission to work and pay taxes and are given a work permit or something that will make them feel they don't have to live in fear of being sent back to the hell they escaped from. Of course they will disappear into the population if they are afraid the government will not give them justice or will take away their children.

I watched a program on C-Span where some congress men and women were trying to understand just what is needed at the border. The heads of the departments that deal with the immigrants had no clue except to say they needed more money to build shelters and more people to enforce the laws. Each department did not overlap the other so there was no one who had the responsibility to follow up and find those who did not show up for their notified appointment to court.

One man said it was the responsibility of the police to find those people and bring them in. It was not the responsibility of his department. His job was to try to be sure that children and young people were placed with a responsible family or person. The men and women who asked the questions talked about some teenage boys who were released into the hands of the traffickers who brought them into the country. These kids were eventually found working in fields up in Oregon or somewhere far from the border. They had no way to get back for their court appointed date.

At the end of that program, no one knew any more about what to do about the immigration problem, it seemed. The three department heads were sullen and not very responsive to those asking questions. Perhaps they felt they were made to feel at fault. I think it is a problem where some have their hands tied because of the changing rules that do not take into consideration what these departments do and are limited in doing. One department head said they had little warning when the order came to separate the children from parents. 

If it takes six months to meet with each of those who have traveled so far to find freedom and safety, then it should be done. Check each one out and find a way to be sure they are not further damaged by coming to our "land of the free" that we sing about.

On Facebook I see some who say they don't want these immigrants to come into our country because they are going to change the way we live. I know there are farmers and businesses that would love to have these people work for them at the cheap rates they have to pay. Even in my little town, we have low paying jobs that need to be filled. All the restaurants and small stores need people who will work for less than minimum wage. But where are these people?

A farmer out west said he would never have voted for Trump if he had known that the immigrants would not be allowed to come and work on his chicken farm. That is dirty and difficult work and only those who are desperate for work will take the job. Now, he says, he can't get the labor he needs.

Mr. Trump hires immigrants to work in his hotels and his businesses, I'm sure. In the big cities, immigrants fill the low pay jobs like maid, janitor, and dish washer. If we don't let immigrants into the country the cost of labor will have to go up. Citizens of the USA don't want to work for less than minimum wage.

I find that hiring a person to help me now includes extra money for the high price of gasoline she needs to drive to my house. In rural areas, gas prices impact everything.

Recently I heard that Asians actually make up the majority of immigrants in the United States. They don't come to the border in Mexico, probably, but they are here. Most of them are educated and don't take the menial jobs that the people in the "caravan" will take if they are allowed to stay here. They hope to work up to having a better job and their work ethics are strong.

Instead of fighting over immigration and making it a huge political battle, I wish all parties in our government would work on creating good immigration policies. I hope with the women and diversity in the House now, that sensible and caring bills will be passed and we can still practice what we preach in this country.

What do you think about immigration as it is now? What would you like to see accomplished in the future?

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