“...The stranger who resides with you shall be
to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you
were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God...”
(Leviticus 19:34 NASB).
“...You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself: I am
the LORD...” (Leviticus 19:18 KJV).
“...If you come with us, we will share with you
whatever good things the LORD gives us..." (Number 10:32 NIV).
“...And you are to love those who are
foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt...” (Deuteronomy
10:19 NIV).
“...The LORD watches over the foreigner and
sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked...”
(Psalms 146:9 NIV).
*
UnRee told Reginald
about Benjamin. Benjamin was an advocate, on the streets, for immigrants.
Benjamin hated the lies that other Americans held about immigrants such as they
are bringing in “drugs” or they are bringing “crime” into the country.
The biggest criminals,
in Benjamin’s opinion, were not immigrants, but GREEDY Americans, who had NO
problem exploiting the disenfranchised or marginalized.
It was amazing how
blind and gullible people were about keeping immigrants out of America, yet
keep the “real” criminals in elected offices.
Because of ignorance,
thousands of immigrants are being negatively and unjustly affected. Some
Americans have NO CLUE how wrong or misguided their conclusions and rationale
is over immigrants.
Most people believe it is
the “immigrant” that has put a burden on the country. Most people think the “immigrant”
is taking their jobs, housing, and healthcare. Most people don’t understand or
bother to understand why “immigrants” migrate to America in the first place.
Benjamin had,
originally, come to America for business purposes, only, on a temporary visa,
along with his wife and family but something happened that made him decide to
stay.
His wife and family found
a good neighborhood, a nice school, and friendly church and wanted to stay and become a part of
the community.
Benjamin had NO
INTENTIONS on staying in America, but his wife and family compelled him to
stay. His family did seem to be thriving well in the new community they’d found.
Benjamin would be a
third generation immigrant to come to America to work, but he had no clue where
the rest of his family lived. Eventually he became an American citizen, but the
immigration changes made it hard for his wife to become a citizen too.
Benjamin spent thousands
and thousands of dollars on immigration lawyers, the application process for his wife, and going out of state to immigration appointments so she could stay in the US legally with passports and
visas.
Benjamin couldn’t
petition for his wife to stay in the US until he, first, became a citizen himself.
His wife and kids had to leave the country. Eventually, he submitted the
paperwork for “family reunification” in order to begin the process for legal
residency for his family.
His wife could have
resided in the US under a work visa, but it required a yearly renewal until she
could get a green card, but it turned into a long, tedious process.
Fortunately, they had a
set of twins boys in 2013 and they were born on America soil. Under the new
executive order, DAPA, Benjamin and his wife were protected from deportation.
However, the new
executive order didn’t last and Benjamin’s family was at risk for deportation.
It wasn’t long before Benjamin became separated from his family. It devastated
Benjamin and the anti-immigrant sentiments made the separation between him and
his family worst. No one will know the pain of leaving your wife and kids, in a place, that ran like a prison.
Benjamin couldn’t tell
his story without breaking into tears. Anti-immigration sentiments caused automatic immigrant stereotypes without seeing they were “real” people with “real” lives. Many decent immigrants were living nightmares, experiencing heartbreak, and being hated unjustly.
Many of them worked
really hard to contribute to the American economy and they felt disparaged in
the worst way when their families started becoming separated.
Benjamin and his wife
just wanted a better life for their family. He never thought they would be
pawns in the war against immigrants. The immigration rhetoric had affected
a fair and just legal process. In addition, it had busted up and destroyed his family. Did anybody even care?
The residency process
failed Benjamin, because the immigration laws became extremely stringent and twisted, making it almost impossible to do the right thing. Now
his wife and family were left without him, because they were being FORCED out of the
country.
What had happened to
America that they would separate his young wife and a new father from his family.
Benjamin worried about
the dire circumstances that faced his family without him, such as poverty and
violence. They decided to stay in America because they thought the people and opportunities were better.
Benjamin lost hope,
lost his job, and now he was struggling on the streets. He had tried to do
everything through the legal process and it failed him. Many other immigrants
had crossed the border illegally. They were also looking for a better life and
a better opportunity.
Some of them had
literally crawled on their hands and knees for hours and hours to get to
America. Some were sent back to their countries only to discover their
relatives were killed, kidnapped, or a drug cartel controlled their neighborhoods.
Benjamin had so many
reasons to fear he would never see his family again. They went to a detention
center, but he didn’t know which one or where they even were now or if they were
able to stay together.
He tried the legal
process so many times, unsuccessfully, until all his money was gone. He’d given
all he had to immigration lawyers.
Benjamin’s business
went down. He didn’t even have enough money to go back to his country. Benjamin didn’t come to
America to break their laws, but he wanted to survive and give his family a
better life.
On this side of
immigration, Benjamin learned something about America, especially about the
Christian community. He thought, for sure, he would find solace among them.
The new immigration
policies, he thought, went against Christian beliefs regarding God’s love, Jesus
dying for ALL nations, and that brother and sisters in Christ were a diverse
community which included immigrants - but didn't elicit compassion. Benjamin was looking for an authentic church family.
Benjamin KNEW there had
to be some Christian churches somewhere that extended compassion to immigrants,
but he had not found one yet. He was desperate and was looking for other
Christians, like himself, who supported policies that offered fair treatment to the immigrant trying to do the right thing.
Benjamin knew every
scripture: “...The
stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you
shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the
LORD your God...” (Leviticus 19:34 NASB).
“...You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself: I am
the LORD...” (Leviticus 19:18 KJV).
“...If you come with us, we will share with you
whatever good things the LORD gives us..." (Number 10:32 NIV).
“...And you are to love those who are
foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt...” (Deuteronomy
10:19 NIV).
“...The LORD watches over the foreigner and
sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked...”
(Psalms 146:9 NIV).
Benjamin
believed that one day, he would find the right church family and they would
help him. They would show him hospitality as the bible says:
“...Don’t forget to show hospitality to
strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without
realizing it!...”(Hebrews 13:2 NLT). The immigration policies didn’t reflect
God’s promises.
Benjamin
had been separated from his family for months, but he knew so many immigrants
that were facing deportation and separation too. It was sad and heartbreaking. He also knew if they
were sent back they would face worst troubles.
So many
undocumented immigrants who had migrated to America as minors were homeless and
living on the streets now. Many of them were scared and had no idea what they would
face if they were FORCED to go to a country they had NO knowledge of.
Everywhere they went they felt
threatened, feared being separated from America, and torn from the only life
they’ve ever known.
Benjamin
spent a lot of his time keeping homeless immigrants out of the immigration
detention centers. And he tried to discourage them from working at facilities ran by corporations
that only paid 50 cents an hour.
Some didn’t
listen or complained that they would be giving up their $20.00 a week paycheck.
The immigration legal system put many of them in “this” situation and then
exploited them by taking advantage of their plight.
Benjamin
had once worked for 50 cents an hour until he heard the corporation he was
working for had netted millions and millions of dollars.
Out of
desperation, thousands of immigrants worked or were forced to work at
facilities that abused and exploited their vulnerable situations.
It was a form
of human trafficking, both direct and inadvertent, that forced immigrants to
work for sub-minimum slave wages. If they didn’t do it or complained they were
threatened with immediate deportation and/or detention.
The
anti-immigrant sentiments included creating a fear, among other Americans, that
they were taking jobs from U.S. citizens. Yet, the very people creating the
fear were giving jobs to immigrants, off the record, so they wouldn’t have to
PAY Americans a fair and just salary.
Many
major corporations relied and depended upon immigrants to keep working for them
in order to keep their business running and profitable.
They
abused and exploited immigrant workers and then BLAMED them for taking American
jobs when the truth was they didn’t want to hire REGULAR waged American
employees.
Benjamin
would discourage everyone, immigrant or non-immigrant, from working for these
corporations. He told UnRee not to work for them either. They used immigrants
or other disadvantaged people to make a PROFIT, which was simple another form
of slavery.
Because
of their legal, marginal, or disenfranchised positions they were directly or
inadvertently forced to perform slave labor. No matter what their status was in
America, immigrants still had human rights.
Often,
working for these corporations, the conditions were deplorable. They got no
breaks, not even for lunch, and were taken full advantage of by the corporation.
They KNEW they wouldn’t complain, talk to anyone, or make any demands.
It was
total abuse and exploitation of immigrant laborers for their OWN profit. It was a
form of 21st century slavery and sometimes they didn’t even get paid
on time! The corporation’s pockets get padded, while the immigrants take the
blame.
Benjamin
wrote letters to Republican lawmakers in an attempt to make them aware of the situation, but the
corporations had more than enough money to defend themselves against any and
all allegations.
Some
corporations turned it around by saying they were helping the country’s
immigration problem by keeping them busy, cutting down crime, reducing
immigration drug problems, and by preventing “them” from draining the
government assistance programs.
It upset
Benjamin, who was separated from his family and suffered from the emotional
trauma and stress of that every day of his life!
While
these corporations blinded the America people and created divisions between
them and immigrants, they were also making political contributions, in the
millions, to MOSTLY Republicans who gladly turned a blind eye to the abuse and
exploitation of people whose “real” lives were being negatively impacted.
Yes,
Benjamin was an immigrant. He became an American citizen though and tried to help his
family too, but he ran out of money and time. Now he was separated from them,
but he refused to be forced, directly or inadvertently, to work for slave
wages.
Immigrants
are in American working and laboring for SLAVE wages. They are NOT taking these
jobs, but are directly or inadvertently GIVEN these jobs in order to survive.
Corporations are GIVING these jobs to them in order to make a PROFIT. If they
gave them to AMERICANS they would have to paid them, at least, the legal minimum
wage.
Benjamin
tried to get immigrants to stop working for these corporations, but too many
needed the slave wages to survive.
Yet,
immigrants got the BLAME and the corporations who exploited them took NO accountability.
One thing
Benjamin knew, for sure, was that these corporation SUPPORTED these inhumane
jobs and was unashamed of the illegal way in which they got their laborers OR
they wouldn’t choose to do it.
For
Benjamin, the treatment of immigrants revealed the character of those who had
been elected to lead the country. The norms of behavior no longer reflected
those of democracy, integrity, or civil rights for all citizens.
Hatred,
cruelty, and dishonesty was becoming commonplace and what was once GREAT about
American was taking a back seat. The Statue of Liberty was a symbol of hope for
his people “...give us your poor, your
tired, your huddled masses longing to be free...” Growing up, Benjamin was
told that ALL Americans were once immigrants who came to American looking for
the freedom and hope it offered.
Many
immigrants lived in desperate condition and come to America to improve their
conditions. Benjamin did and he respected the laws of the land and got his
citizenship the right way. There needed to be a way to balance the scales of immigration. He
understood that. That's what the legal immigration process was meant to do....fairly!
Benjamin
respected the immigration process “when” it worked fairly and justly. Like it or
not America was founded upon immigrant forefathers and new immigrant citizens,
like himself, and hopefully one day his sons, they will contribute greatly to
the country too.
But the
disinformation about immigrants is concerning and is solely based on rhetoric,
without facts, to create public fear, division, and to keep racism, toward the immigrant, animated.
For the
time being, Benjamin felt he was an immigrant stereotype or statistic, whose profile was anything, but
fact-based. Most people saw immigrants as lazy or threatening people and were
instantly bias against them.
He was
bullied and hassled because he was different and had a foreign language. Even
among the homeless people could be prejudice. He was still surprised at how
justified some people felt about picking on immigrants.
He knew
two things, like it or not everybody, in America, had immigrant ancestors, and picking
on immigrants didn’t make them look bad, but it made the BULLY look bad.
Benjamin
believed, with all his heart, that the people you disenfranchise today, may be
your benefactor tomorrow. If you showed no mercy; when your turns comes; you should
expect no mercy either. "…In everything,
therefore, TREAT people the same way you want them to TREAT you…”
(Matthew 7:12 NASB).
“…Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap….”
(Galatians 6:7 KJV). “….For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption…” (Galatians
6:8 KJV).
Just
because you think and feel you are safe and secure where you are right now, doesn’t
mean it can’t change overnight. One day the American playing field “will” be
completely different.
“…Let
NOT thine heart ENVY sinners…” (Proverbs 23:17 KJV).
“…Fret not
thyself because of evildoers, neither
be thou envious against workers of iniquity....” (Psalm 37:1-2,16 KJV).
...
For evildoers shall
be CUT OFF; …" (Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
“…the wicked shall
perish….” (Psalm 37:14, 15, & 21 KJV). “...they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green
herb . …" (Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
“...FRET NOT thyself because of him [or her]…who prospereth in his[or
her]… way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.…"
(Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
“...
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath…"
(Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
“...FRET NOT thyself in any wise to do evil. …" (Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
“...For
they
shall soon be cut down like the grass….the little that a righteous man
hath is BETTER than the RICHES of the MANY wicked...” (Psalm 37:1-2,16
KJV).
One day someone else DECENT would be making the rules for immigrants.
One day someone else DECENT would be making the rules for immigrants.
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