Help Us From All Bondage Flee

this past week we learned that the governor of florida had arranged for a group of asylum seekers who had come to our country from venezuela to be flown from texas to massachusetts.  mr. desantis, the florida politician, proclaimed loudly that his intent was to guarantee that such people did not come to his state.  he and his supporters thought it amusing that he had demonstrated what they see as the sham of sanctuary proclamations by cities and states that welcome immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, and promise to care for them and help them become part of american society.

using people who are fleeing deplorable conditions in their own countries to seek protection in this country to score political points is unconscionable.  such tactics and the rhetoric which accompanies them demonstrate the callousness of the anti-immigrant movement.  for them, immigrants are political pawns, rather than people.  they cast those who seek our protection as our enemies, when we know that the vast majority of immigrants want to help our country and add to its prosperity.  as one massachusetts politician said, the economy of his region depends on immigrants who are willing to take jobs that would otherwise go unfilled.  for the most part, those who seek refuge are eager to work, even when the only jobs available are menial ones that pay little.  time and again, we've seen these immigrants who are willing to start at the bottom of the economic ladder climb to prosperous lives through hard work and determination.  we should be applauding and assisting such people rather than using them for political purposes by calling them  enemies of the american people.

may we remember that we are a country of immigrants who descended from those who came here seeking a better life for themselves and their families, unless we are native americans.  may we do what we can to help those who seek asylum here rather than regarding them as our enemies.  may we see how our lives are made better by those who enrich our culture with their cuisine, languages, and traditions.  shalom.