A migrant woman feeds her baby in a concrete tunnel near a railroad during their journey toward the U.S.-Mexican border in this AP photo taken Thursday.
Today's post is off topic, but not really. Many of my readers from nonprofit organizations work in the human services sector, and presumably we all share an interest in "the human condition."
This photo stopped me in my tracks. Every political year, illegal immigration becomes a pitched battle, even though, frankly, we have far more pressing concerns in our country. Maybe that's why politicians like this issue; it sounds important but it means they don't have to grapple with the real issues that affect most of us more deeply every day.
The photo is a reminder that when we discuss illegal immigration, we are not talking about statistics or "aliens." We are talking about people -- mothers and babies -- people who are just like you and me. Unlike most of us, however, they were not lucky enough to be born in a relatively prosperous country. The lottery of life cast them in dire circumstances, in a country with a wretched economy and fraught with increasingly violent and widespread wars over control of the illegal drug market.
Can you blame this mother for wanting something better than that for her baby? Wouldn't you?
People travel incredible, risky journeys to get to the U.S. from Mexico and Latin American countries, often riding on the tops of trains, holding on to racks on top of the train for dear life, crossing treacherous rivers, and more. All for the hopes of having a small slice of what you and I take for granted every day. Today, 29,000 immigrants who are not U.S. citizens are serving in our military, doing our fighting for us. Taking the military oath to protect and defend our nation does not bestow citizenship on an immigrant. It should.
Immigrants are vital to our economy as well. Here in Indiana, migrants work the farms this time of year, putting food on your table. Across the country, factories, farms and some entire industries depend on immigrant labor.
Most of us are descendants of immigrants. Our ancestors came from all over the world. Some were shackled and shipped here as slaves; others came freely but penniless to build a new life, digging ditches, building subways and city infrastructures, and doing work that no one else wanted to do. My ancestors came from Germany (probably to escape the gallows, given my family's spotty history). No, they came here to fulfill their dreams, so they, and their children, and their grandchildren, and eventually Steve Cebalt, could live in a land of freedom and opportunity.
Now that we are here, essentially immigrants ourselves if you take the long view, many want to close the doors and make The Land of the Free a private club, for current members only.
Politics aside, this photo reminds us that the "immigration issue" is about people just like us, including a young mom seeking a better life for her baby.
Steve Cebalt, Author
The Communications Handbook for Nonprofits and Foundations
--
