Welcome to America
Years ago I wrote something somewhere about a family walking through the desert into Arizona looking for a better life, opportunity and an escape from assured poverty, maybe violence. Have you ever been to the Sonoran Desert? It's fucking inhospitable in every sense. The distance, topography, heat and exposure to direct sun are a deadly combination for all travelers. If a family hikes hundreds of miles and makes it to Phoenix I want to be the first gringo to say ... "Welcome to America, have some water."
As much as Trump would like to portray all immigrants as illegal, evildoers, undeserving, or all of the above ... I know better. We're not getting the lazy Mexicans. Only the ambitious would make the dangerous trek. The Mexicans migrating to the states are those willing to work, willing to risk everything for an opportunity to earn a living and make a better life for their family. The vast majority are good people. That is my experience living 14+ years in Arizona.
Fifteen years ago I was an immigration hardliner. It was easy to sit in my house in Rhode Island and rail against a porous border, lack of security and the need to enforce laws. Once across the border they were officially illegally in our country. That was my position. After 911 this was a popular point of view. Then I moved to Arizona.
There are bad hombres in Phoenix. Some dangerous people make the ambitous trek. They also seek opportunity but they're not good people. If Trump's immigration goons were only rounding up felons and criminals with warrants ... the majority of Americans would have little to complain about, not even the Latino community. They would be well rid of their bad hombres.
That's not what the Border Contol Gestapo is doing, they're detaining mothers, fathers and dreamers who've committed no crime other than being in country. In most cases they have jobs, kids in school and no criminal records. This is a crime against the American ideals I grew up with.
We are no longer the land of the free, home of the brave.
My experience in Arizona, day after day, year after year since 2002 has flipped my position on immigration 180' and my larger political and social views as well. It's amazing what living amongst true hard core right wing conservatives can do for you. I learned early on that I'm not one of them. They lack compassion, empathy and sympathy all while living their self righteous, moral Christian life. Family values, yay god, 'Murica!
It's also amazing living among hard working immigrants. I love the Mexicans in OUR community. About the same time I learned I was not a conservative I was also witnessing the modest work ethic of migrants. They're honest and have more character and integrity than the gringos who would deport them and their families. They're even more Christain than the right wing rednecks who support Trump.
I stand against our President and with the immigrants, so easy to do from my keyboard in Tempe but this time at least I'm on the right side of the issue. Welcome to America senor, sorry for the inconvenience but were under new management, things are messy. Give us time, we'll work this out. America will be great again.
Coming Soon: The Muslim Ban, WTF?