Migrant caravans | Letters to the editor, Nov. 9, 2018

On immigrant caravans and MS-13

The recent surge in migrant caravans have further encouraged Trump’s immigration and border control policies. A leader of the caravans, Bartolo Fuentes, has spoken on behalf of these illegal immigrants, saying they “aren’t going because we want to, violence and poverty is driving us out,” rooted by great amounts of crime and fear in southern countries and a need for safety.

The common motivator for the fight against illegal immigration is the correlation with crime, specifically the L.A. gang from Honduras, MS-13. MS-13 members make up less than 1 percent of criminally active gang members in the U.S., and there is no indication of an increase in the past few years. There are many horrible gangs formed of solely U.S citizens that cause the same terror as MS-13.

I feel it would be more beneficial to our safety to work toward collectively fighting gang violence, rather than directing so much energy at MS-13. The correlation of gang-related crime and illegal immigration seems much more like a set of facts politically slanted by fear and prejudice, and those are being taken out on innocent families only seeking safety.

Poor most often labeled as criminal

I’m writing with concern that not every individual is treated equally in the justice system. Lower-class individuals are more likely to be arrested, more likely to be charged, more likely to be convicted, more likely to be sentenced to prison, and more likely to receive a long sentence.

The social justice system deals differently with crimes committed by the powerful and the powerless. There are two factors that influence the outcome of each case, the first being the ability of the accused to be free on bail prior to trial, and the second is the access to legal counsel. Since bail and good quality legal counsel cost money, it is hardly surprising that those from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds fair badly in the court system.

The definitions of “crime” and “criminals” are products of moral agents, social movements, political interests, and policymakers; the main factors involved in producing “crime” and “criminals” are class, race, and gender. Most of the harmful and illegitimate behavior of the rich and powerful has not traditionally been defined as criminal, but nearly all the harmful and deviant behavior by the poor and the powerless is defined as violating the criminal law.

Live up to Lady Liberty’s poem

Can you think of a time when people from another country, fleeing a dangerous situation, attempted to escape by coming to America? The United States has always been the safe harbor for immigrants seeking to escape injustice and persecution.

Unfortunately 900 Jewish people trying to escape from Nazi Germany in 1939 on the MS St. Louis were turned away and the ship was forced to return to Europe where at least one-fourth of them died in death camps. How hard is it to see the historical parallel of the current situation?

People coming to the United States from Central America are fleeing a life-or-death situation in their homeland and looking for safety by coming to America, the so called land of the free and home of the brave.

Let us have the courage to welcome our brothers and sisters with open arms and compassion. Let us live up to the words found on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Walk for privilege of voting

What should we fear? A thousand or more refugees willing to walk a 1,000 miles in search of safety and opportunity, or, 150 million American’s unwilling to walk to their neighborhood polling location and vote ?

My hat goes off to fellow Central Americans whose determination for freedom and opportunity is reminiscent of qualities we demonstrated in making “America Great.” I fear those who are unwilling to walk.