Weren’t We All Strangers at One Point?

Each day I open my newspaper and read about the immigration issue. News stories tell of the latest developments, columnists and editors offer perspectives and letters to editors give strong opinions both pro and con. Clearly this hot button issue is bringing strong emotions to the surface not only in Connecticut but across our country.

It saddens me to see so much hatred. Self-described patriotic citizens disparage all the undocumented. I'll paraphrase a recent letter that described immigrants as a complete drain on our American economy and a threat to our way of life. That same letter went on to say that the writer was not prejudiced or a bigot in any way. If you have to explain why your words are not bigoted I would suggest that they are. On the other side advocates for immigrants describe those same citizens as heartless and without compassion. I don't believe that is the case.

There are an estimated 11 million undocumented foreign born people in our country and that fact is not likely to change. These people live under the radar and they live in constant fear. These people perform jobs that most Americans will not do, many working multiple jobs to support their families and exploitation of these people is rampant. The plight of these people is very real and we can not ignore it.

The immigration issue is very complex. It involves human rights, respect for our country's laws, economic development and global competitiveness. Federal immigration reform legislation was unsupported on both sides for a myriad of reasons and it failed to pass and so the problem remains unsolved. Most certainly at some point our legislators must address meaningful reform but that seems unlikely to happen until after the 2008 elections.

Until then, I will speak to this issue as I always have, and that is as a pastor. Immigrants are human beings first and foremost. They deserve to be treated with respect and if they have basic needs, we need to offer help. Is there one among us who would deny our loved ones a safe and secure future? That is why people come to our country. They are fleeing desperate living conditions and sometimes desperate choices are made. We are a country of immigrants and we will always be a country of immigrants. Let us offer a helping hand to the strangers among us.

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