A Humanitarian Crisis

Living in Southern California, I am not a stranger to the issues of illegal immigration and the need for immigration reform.  Reform has been a hot-button topic for the last few years while liberals and conservatives try (I use try loosely) to come to some agreement about what to do with this country's illegal population.

We are now faced with a very different illegal problem.  Children from Central and South America are infiltrating our borders.  Things have gotten so dangerous in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala due to the drug cartels, parents are paying "coyotes" gobs of money take their children across the border and drop them off in the US.  Our current law only allows officials to quickly send them back to their home country if they are from Mexico or Canada.  Even though these kids came through Mexico to get here, the law allows these unaccompanied minors join family members or foster care while their case is handled through formal hearings during which they can petition to remain in this country.  The case load is currently backlogged from months to years.  In this year alone, over 50,000 of these children have crossed over the border.

This, of course, has turned into the blame game.  Even though the law that allows these children to remain in the country was signed before Obama took office, he somehow singlehandedly allowed each and every one of these children to come here.  He probably even used Air Force One to bring them over!

Seriously though, I do understand the frustration with this recent influx.  Illegal immigrants are a strain on our economy. Our taxes pay for a lot of their care while, due to their status, they are not able to contribute.  And the fact that these are children, they can't care for themselves, is even more frightening.  If they stay here, they need to be taken care of, and that will become more of a burden on our resources.

But the thing that brings me to tears is that these are LITTLE KIDS.  Their parents, the ones who they know and love, sent them far away, alone, with very dangerous people, to a place they've never been.  What a scary, scary journey it must have been.  Now they are here in this new country who, let's face it, doesn't want them.  It's a lot for little shoulders to bear.

I was discussing this situation with someone (who is angry about it) the other day.  While I sympathized, I also mentioned how, due to the law that prohibited them from being turned away, these children need to be cared for.  If they are our responsibility now, we can't slack off.  I was rebutted (Is that a word?) with "If they're allowed to stay, you will have more of THOSE kids in your class."  Yep, and that's exactly where they should be...in school.  If they are our responsibility now, school is where they need to be.   I don't understand the mentality of not educating the kids (any of them) whose families might be illegal or who now are illegal themselves.  If we want them to not be a burden on our society, they need to be educated.

I do really feel for the border communities who are directly affected by this crisis.  They are faced with a challenge.  At this point though, what is going to change by complaining and being angry over the situation.  Maybe it's an idealistic and bleeding heart view point, but banning together to make these kids feel welcome and teaching them how to be good and productive citizens seems like a better plan.  Blaming them for something they had zero control over isn't going to be good for anyone.