People vs Politics: More Truth from the Southern Border by AChuckAllen
Without any doubt, the American political system has simply gone crazy. I don’t mean a little crazy. I mean bat-wing-knuckle-headed-lost your mind, crazy! There, I feel better.
I’ve listened to the Democratic hopefuls make some outrageous statements in their debates. I’ve heard that we are tearing families apart, that we are ripping children from mothers arms and that we are turning families away without due process. I’ve heard Conservatives and Liberals whine and cry about all of the horrible things we Americans are doing to the poor folks that are seeking asylum in the USofA.
Let me just say, with great conviction. That’s just HORSE CRAP!
I’ve now been to the border three times and have visited five Border Stations. Next month I’ll be in Yuma Arizona and back to El Paso and Juarez again. In October I’ll be in San Diego and Tijuana. I’ve seen it – up close. I’ve spoken with migrant men, women, families and kids. I’ve seen the stations where folks, primarily from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba and Mexico are processed and given an opportunity to be released legally into the States or at a minimum, given an NTA (Notice to Appear) to plead their case for asylum.
If you are an Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC), you have four levels at which you are expedited. 1) You have a verified parent already in the States. If so, you are moved to the front of the line and you are escorted all the way to where your parent resides. 2) You have a verified family member (non-parent) and then you are escorted to where your family member resides. 3) You have a vetted and verified friend of your family and again, you are escorted all the way to where that friend lives. Or 4) You are truly alone and with no sponsor. In that case, you are escorted to a UAC Facility that is designed with the safety and comfort of the child. I visited a UAC Facility in Texas last week. More than 300 boys, ages 13-17 are receiving three great meals each day (I ate two meals with them – no! Not at the same time) an American education, sports opportunities and more than 200 of those same boys have chosen to give their life to Christ and all of them are receiving skills training that any child in America would be thrilled to have. I saw, up close, the teaching in the school and saw the dormitory that was better than most of the dorms that I moved six daughters into on their freshman move in date.
Yes, this should break our heart and yes, it is a humanitarian crisis, but children are being loved and cared for in ways that are better than many of them have ever been cared for! Yes, we should do better and I am privileged to be taking a lead role in connecting American families and churches with these awesome kids. But don’t bite on the non-sensible banter thrown around by either party or candidate. We can meet the needs of kids and families and we can care for short or long term needs. This is the role of the Faith Community — Not the Government!
I heard just a few minutes ago, a replay from CNN, from the mouth of a prominent presidential hopeful that “we are ripping babies from the bosoms of their mothers.” Oh my stars! Can we cease with the politicizing of these kids? But it’s not just one way. The threat of ending immigration or living with totally open borders is just insanity. We have laws, most of which help the immigrant. Let’s use them and improve them, but for the sake of all that is decent on this planet, let’s stop using people for our personal, petty, platforms!
These folks are really good people. They, for the most part, seeking asylum for the opportunity to live the American dream. But our present laws do not allow the entry into this country for a better job. Let me be clear… Not everybody qualifies for asylum into this Land of the Free. But when we have kids that have lost their parents in the brutal process of dealing with the cartels on the way to the USA, we do and we should continue to love on the kids and care for these kids and serve these kids as if they were the most important kids in the world! Here’s the good news! Like or hate this Administration, they are allowing the faith community to step in and make a huge difference. For that, I will forever be grateful. You and I can serve the Moms and Kids that are in the middle of the process and then continue to serve them as they find their new homes in the USA.
More to come next week, but for now, the flood of folks has been slowed down to a manageable number of immigrants reaching our borders. That is the direct result of three things:
- Mexico is helping share the burden with groups on their northern and southern border.
- The rapid adjustments made by our Customs and Border Control Stations to accept and process mass numbers of people, even though they were never designed for that.
- The threatened tariffs of the Administration that has families detained on the Mexican Border awaiting their date to plead their case. By the way, I’ve visited one of those centers in Juarez, Mexico. It is as clean and efficient as the centers on our side of the border – minus air conditioning – and is accomplishing the task that the Migrant Protection Protocol intended.
I am hosting a “Real Truth Presentation on my Border Visits, including a Q&A Session” in October at the new Eagle Theatre in Sugar Hill, Georgia. I’ll be sure to post the specifics next week. I think you’ll be thrilled to hear and see the real deal, with absolutely zero political positioning or exaggerations.
Go in Peace,
AChuck