Camp Immigration: "For Kids!"

CAMP

I remember so well the time we spent in summer camps in Ruidoso, New Mexico.   Living in a children's home in El Paso, Texas, afforded us some opportunities that others may not have had; and camp was one of them.  We slept in beds that lined  the walls in large areas in the sleeping area, we shared bath areas and ate together.  Main restrooms were outside and open t all based on their gender.  We played tether ball, and built  forts in the dirt by digging around large tree roots. Our creations were shaded  by large trees that hung over the grounds.   Some days we got to  ride horses and other days we went on a nature walk around a river bed.  We had vesper, sang songs, baked bread, took naps and we sent and got mail from home.  

Of course before going we had time to prepare, and our parents knew we were going so they had time to pack our things and give us instruction on brushing our teeth, taking care of each other as well as the "You better behave yourself or else." kind of talk.  Camp was scary at first, but the preparation and environment along with the attitudes of those trained to work with young minds made for a summer camp that was memorable, rewarding, challenging and fun...a good camp does that.  What is happening with  immigrant children in our country today, is not a camp.

IMMIGRATION

As children raised in El Paso, Texas, we didn't realize there was a war to hold and secure our borders.  We knew about constant movement from Juarez to El Paso,  and were aware that as high school students, if we went there to party, we were subject to run into difficulty getting back.  That is about all I knew as a kid.  I never understood what all the chatter was about.  I understand more now.  I understand enforcing law and what is legal and illegal.  I also understand people and how our life experiences form who we are and it dictates who our children are.  I am not going to try to convince anyone that breaking the law seems right when you are trying to protect your kids, I will not talk about trying to get a better life for your family, something every parent wants to do, or how difficult it must be to run from danger and find it. I won't mention the many jobs that are made or lost due to illegal immigration, but I will talk a moment about people, about children and how we treat each other.  

THE CRY OF A CHILD

With what we are seeing in the media, I am not quite sure what place America has arrived at, and I'm not sure how low we will go to make a point.  We have always paid attention to the cry of a child, not matter who their parents area.  Even with our CPS system, bad parenting is met with a temporary removal of the child for safety reasons, but our plan is always to reunite them with their parents because we understand that is what is best for the child. Removing these children and forcing them into our "Camps" is cruel and traumatic for the children first, and I am sure we will not gain any brownie points with their relatives either.   I don't have all the answers and I am sure our government does not either, but this is a short term, long term wrong.  Children who experience trauma  or injustices at young ages,  carry that pain for years.  They can become adults driven to retaliate against wrongs done to their families.  I know we can do better than this.  Every parent teaches their child about stranger danger, this has got to be a nightmare for them. We are AMERICA, this is not what we do.  We have laws that protect condemned criminals, but we find ourselves here.  This is politics at it's worst.

The sound of a crying child is universal, it hurts no matter what their gender or  race; no matter how they got here, or who their parents are.  A crying child hurts the heart of  every woman and grabs the attention of every man.  If we ever ignore the cry of a child, we ignore the humanity in us, we ignore God in us.  Regardless to your stance on immigration, we all know, we are better than this.