When a person comes legally through ports of entry into this country seeking asylum, they are given permission to stay, in accord with international human rights treaties, until they can have a hearing before a judge in an immigration court. The hearing determines whether they have a legitimate reason for seeking asylum.
The shutdown of the government has not helped the situation at the border. Before it took place there was a serious backlog of immigration cases waiting for a hearing. Now, many of the judges have been furloughed. One judge testified how she had a backlog of four thousand cases before the furlough and with each passing day her case load grows. In November of last year the national backlog of cases stood at more than 800,000. If the shutdown continues into February, expectations are the number will reach a million.
Now we’re told the military will remain on the border, even doing domestic policing, which is against the law, until at least September. So far, their primary function has been installing razor wire, at a cost by last December of $210,000,000. That amount of money would have hired 3,620 immigration judges, far more than we would need to reduce the backlog and provide a rational and far safer immigration process.
One has to ask, why is the choice made to make a situation worse, using force and the threat of force and sending immigration judges home, rather than correcting the situation with a rational solution? Why must the power of the government be rooted in fear, threat and violence, instead of efforts toward compassion and justice?
The people of this country are compassionate. We see it every day. When our church was asked for food and clothes for those without, the response was immediate. Local communities maintain food pantries as do many churches. Weekly or even daily meals are offered free of charge. Appeals to help those suffering natural disasters are met by thousands of generous souls. And on the border today and tomorrow, and as long as the humanitarian crisis lasts, churches and other organizations are offering food and clothing and beds and showers and compassion to those seeking a life free from violence and misery.
One might also ask, why are we as a country putting more carbon into the atmosphere instead of less? Why is this administration rolling back efforts to reduce carbon emissions? Instead of reducing emissions, under this administration, we have climbed higher, a 3.4 increase in greenhouse gases in 2018.
A super majority of our citizens now recognize global warming is not a “hoax” and we need to take positive steps to mitigate the consequences. We have seen enough of severe weather events to recognize that our climate is changing and perhaps the warnings of scientists are accurate.
One of the most hopeful signs for the planet in this country is the rise of the Sunrise Movement. These are young people, intelligent, articulate and intent on ensuring a “green” future. They were in the office of Senator Schumer yesterday, calling on him to back the Green New Deal. One 15 year old by the name of Jordan, spoke sensibly and passionately about her generation and their hopes and fears for the environment and its livability. Their program is so rational and workable and necessary, one wonders what holds the government back from adopting it quickly and wholeheartedly.
Perhaps the young people in the Sunrise Movement also know the secret as to why change is so difficult. They are asking members of Congress to refuse money from fossil fuel companies. They understand that it’s easy to be compromised by financial interests. Does one powerful lobbyist with campaign funds at his disposal, carry more influence than an office full of young people? These folks are willing to ask that question.
Three years back I wrote in this column about a little book by Paul Tillich called “Love, Power and Justice.”
It’s about the dynamic relationship between the three. When we ask the question of why governments do the things they do, we need to remember the path to love and justice goes through power. In a society where the future is shaped by enormous financial institutions, fossil-fuel corporations and the military industrial complex warned of by President Eisenhower, the powet everyday citizens to exercise love and justice through the federal government can be difficult.
But the kindnesses of everyday life, the small miracles of love and justice surrounding us, will have their impact. In the end, power grows and flowers from the bottom up, not the top down. Giants fall to a single stone. People are all fed from a few loaves and fishes. One symbol of love on a cross inspires millions.
