As I have watched with horror the news reports of children separated from their parents – whose crime was to seek a better life for those children in a land flowing with milk and honey, from which they are separated by an imaginary, man-made line in the dirt – it is tempting to vilify President Trump and direct my anger in his direction. The truth is, President Trump represents the views of many Americans, many of whom voted him into office for precisely this reason, so there is a significant number of Americans who are pleased with President Trump’s toughness on immigration – and there are some valid arguments from that perspective. Managing immigration, both legal and illegal, isn’t a simple black-and-white issue; but separating children from their families for this offense, particularly when placing those children with relatives is a significant challenge due to distances and international borders, is crossing the line into immoral behavior.
Interestingly, on June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived at New York harbor – a symbol of hope for freedom and a better life.
But on June 17, 2018, rather than pictures of Lady Liberty offering hope, we have pictures of children in cages along our southern border.
I am reminded of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus as recounted in Luke 16:19-31:
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’
Why was the rich man separated from paradise? What gross sin kept him on the far side of the chasm? The parable infers that it was his indifference to Lazarus’ plight which now keeps him from Abraham’s bosom. He feasted sumptuously each day while Lazarus starved outside his gate. The rich man’s gate separated him from the plight of Lazarus so, in the afterlife, he then is separated from God by an equally forbidding barrier. I think the lesson of this parable is that we cannot expect a unity with God if we in turn oppress, abuse, and separate ourselves from the Lazaruses at our gates.
[Updated to add this tweet and video]
I don’t pretend to have all of the answers, and I understand the importance of maintaining territorial integrity and order, but I think we are better than this. So, I’ll close with a couple of prayers from the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer in the hope that you will join me in a plea for hearts to be softened, divisions to be mended, and the love of God to reign.
O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth.
Lord, keep this nation under your care.
To all who have executive authority and to all who have administrative authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.
To those who make our laws give courage, wisdom, and foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.
To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and justice served.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.
And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for the well-being of our society; that we may serve you faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.
For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Amen.
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Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Amen. Thank you Cody.
Bless you Cody for sharing. This country and government are really in immoral territory. I continue to pray for the restoration of morality to this country 🙏
Not sure why your anger is directed towards Trump when this was the very same policy under Obama, Bush, etc.
Same law, not the same policy!
arelius11: Because it wasn’t their policy. If it was, Trump would not have had to make a change to start separating families at the border. Perhaps you’re thinking of the processing facilities created to handle the unaccompanied minors coming to our border, especially in 2014? And if, as you say, it was happening then, why didn’t Fox News report on it? Why did Trump have to “get tough” on immigration and begin doing this? Please read for a fair presentation of what is and has actually happened:
https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621065383/what-we-know-family-separation-and-zero-tolerance-at-the-border
Either way, this isn’t a partisan issue – it’s a moral issue. I don’t care who is doing it – it’s immoral.
I appreciate the original posting. May our God bless us, but more importantly, may we pray for our God’s blessing.
I hope we will stop hating and demonizing in this matter.
I hope elected politicians will focus on a reasonable compromise instead of focusing the 2018 and 2020 elections. Do what is right, let the consequence follow.
But we all need to pray.
I’ve updated the post with a tweet and video about the toddler and baby detention centers.
Please don’t make this a partisan issue. It’s not. It’s wrong no matter who is responsible, and I think we can all agree on that. Let’s instead focus on ending this policy, changing the law, and returning these children to their parents.
It is an EVIL policy formulated by EVIL people. And it is specifically the policy of Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions.
That’s not partisan. It is merely the TRUTH and I see NO reason to evade it.
Meanwhile, I am heartened to finally see some members of Congress and the American people developing a spine to stand up and say this far we WILL NOT GO. Everyone should continue to hold their feet to the fire to stop this as IMMEDIATELY as possible. And we should expect some baseline HUMANITY from this administration going forward.
It would also be wonderful if the American people would;refuse to put up with the constant stream of outright LIES that come out of the President’s mouth.
The other side is if American parents do something illegal they go to jail, and are separated from their parents. Should the parents also not go to jail? These illegal immigrants are knowingly breaking the law, knowing the consequence of such. It’s sad to see the seperation but what else do you do? Just give amnesty to anyone who illegally enters?
This should have been, from the outset, a matter of law. It’s illegal to enter the country without proper procedure; just as it’s illegal for me to enter your home and take whatever I need in order to better my life. We welcome those who wish to become citizens; legally and responsibly.
Many entering illegally are bringing their children as insurance against legal action, since our laws forbid minors to be jailed.
Our system is far more lenient/humanitarian than other nations. Don’t believe it, go attempt it. BTW, what happened to all those celebrities who swore they would leave the USA if Trump were elected?
Our immigration system needs repair/refit for sure, but that’s done through the legal process, not protests and riots.
On a lighter side, here’s some comebacks to those of you who prefer “undocumented” to “illegal”.
My driving without a license isn’t illegal, it’s “Undocumented”
The moonshine still in my backyard isn’t illegal, it’s “Undocumented”
And the slot machines/crap table in my garage are just “Undocumented”
Timing is perfect with today’s executive order on the subject.
If American children have criminal parents the parents go to jail. The children are separated from a parent but they are not incarcerated as well. They continue to live with another parent or relative who is familiar to them and speaks the same language they do. They grieve for their parent and they are comforted.
These children — who came with their parents as a family and not a “shield” — are ripped from anyone they know and thrown into facilities cabled together to whatever standards. They are suddenly and inexplicably with strangers who don’t speak the same language and who can’t comfort them whether by policy or language barriers or the sheer overwhelming numbers of it all. And they become psychologically damaged for life. Do you understand that? These innocent children will bear an emotional scar for the rest of their lives.
Next is the issue of reunion and repatriation. The last figure I heard was 2500 kids separated sometimes by several states or an entire coast. I can assure you that there will be kids who will never see their parents again whether by tragedy or the tragedy of bureaucratic errors.
This is the madness of EVIL minds meant to be punitive to the point of cruelty that is foisted on the young, the vulnerable and the innocent. There is NO excuse for it EVER.
“Many entering illegally are bringing their children as insurance against legal action.” Come on. I suppose that when you travel, you bring your children along simply to take advantage of early boarding privileges, not BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUR CHILDREN. These are real people. These are real families. Stop and think what you are saying before you say it.
If these were all asylum seekers who just got confused, I would be very sympathetic to this situation. Unfortunately, many of these families have historically not showed up for their court summons and have just disappeared into their new home. The Trump harsh enforcement is a response to compounding illegal activity on the part of many of the previous migrants who gamed the system.
Also, the new Trump order from today will run into a 20+ year old court ruling that sets a maximum time limit for incarceration of minors in this type of situation. In a few weeks, some of the currently detained migrants will be hitting this limit and either 1) will be released (the old system that Trump is trying hard to change), 2) Will be separated from their children(like the past 2 months), 3) Will get an expedited hearing (and more than likely deported), 4) will be retained together which will certainly generate another lawsuit.
My guess is that #3 & 4 above will be the way the Trump administration tries, which will put pressure back on his political opponents to change the current immigration laws. If #4 is happening, look for AG Sessions to get a lawsuit in a friendly court to modify the old court ruling, which could lead to indefinite detention of families.
Anon @ 5:48,
The number of families with children illegally entering the US has gone way up in recent years. Is it because central americans are having more children? No! It is because the de facto immigration policy has become far more friendly to migrants with children who claim asylum. If they were real asylum seekers, most would present themselves at a port of entry and avoid this situation completely. The asylum claim is part of the previous illegal immigration game.
“It is because the de facto immigration policy has become far more friendly to migrants with children who claim asylum.” Glad to know you can divine the TRUE reason parents bring their children to our country. Those immigrants probably wouldn’t even have children if they couldn’t exploit them, right? It couldn’t possibly be the hope that they can give their children a better life.
Thank God that up until recently the policy has been friendlier than it is right now. And may God forgive our country for our collective sin today.
Thanks for the comments on this, everybody.
This policy is also applied to asylum seekers who present themselves to authorities. There is nothing illegal about seeking asylum. This administration has vilified and criminalized seeking asylum.