[guest post by Dana]
There is nothing about the border crisis that is not overwhelming. The Border Patrol is overwhelmed by sheer numbers of migrants crossing the border. A facility designed to house 100 detainees is now having to hold more than 300 individuals. And the number of unaccompanied children is overwhelming. As elected officials on both sides of the aisle attempt to advantageously use the crisis of children being detained in unacceptable conditions and push their party’s agenda, I was pleasantly surprised to read a response that mirrored my own. Because whatever the reason for these children landing here, it is through no fault of their own. Anyway, the intent of my post isn’t to argue the politics of illegal immigration, but rather write a small post about me nodding my head in agreement.
The Associated Press tweeted a link to their report about the 300+ children that were moved out of an overwhelmed Texas border station due to unsanitary and unhygienic conditions:
The U.S. government has removed most children from a remote Border Patrol station in Texas near the border with Mexico following reports that more than 300 children were detained there and caring for each other with inadequate food, water and sanitation.
Only about 30 children remained at the station outside El Paso on Monday, Rep. Veronica Escobar said after her office was briefed on the situation by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official.
Most of the infants, toddlers and teens who were held at the Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, were scheduled to be transferred by Tuesday to shelters and other facilities run by a separate federal agency, the Office of Refugee Resettlement said.
Attorneys involved in monitoring care for migrant children who visited Clint last week said older children were trying to take care of toddlers, The Associated Press reported Thursday. They described a 4-year-old with matted hair who had gone without a shower for days, and hungry, inconsolable children struggling to soothe one another. Some had been locked for three weeks inside the facility, where 15 children were sick with the flu and another 10 were in medical quarantine.
(Other reports note that area residents have left donations of diapers, baby wipes, soap and toothbrushes at the station office but the items were rejected by Border Patrol. No reason for the rejection was given.)
Theologian, pastor, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Dr. Russell Moore tweeted in response to the report:
The reports of the conditions for migrant children at the border should shock all of our consciences. Those created in the image of God should be treated with dignity and compassion, especially those seeking refuge from violence back home. We can do better than this.
No matter where one falls on the immigration spectrum, it would seem at the very least, that this is the correct initial reaction. It is a response rooted in compassion, not politics. It is a response rooted in the basic idea that everyone has intrinsic value. It is a response rooted in the Christian exhortation to love our neighbors as ourselves. And lastly, it is a response rooted in the belief that, through the grace of God and because of the grace of God, we can indeed do better. What this response isn’t, is a call for open borders or a call to ignore our immigration laws. And it isn’t a call to close the border either.
Anyway, what a stark contrast between Dr. Moore’s encouragement toward a reaction reflecting something of God, and that of Jerry Falwell, Jr.:
Who are you @drmoore ? Have you ever made a payroll? Have you ever built an organization of any type from scratch? What gives you authority to speak on any issue? I’m being serious. You’re nothing but an employee- a bureaucrat.
Oh hell, I’ve never made a payroll either. And I’ve never built an organization from scratch (just like you, Jerry!). And you know what, I’m not even an employee any longer but here I am schooling you, you arrogant weenie. And last I read, Jerry, there were a couple of noted yahoos in the Book who also weren’t technically “qualified” to speak on certain issues – and between you and me, they lied, lusted, cheated and deceived their way through life – yet crazily enough, God still anointed them as qualified to speak with the greatest of authority on His behalf. Go figure.
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana
