Turning Away

WHEN TRUMP announced his candidacy for president the first thing he talked about was immigration. Specifically, illegal immigration, although there is good evidence that people who are the most troubled by illegal immigration are not particularly fond of any kind of immigration into the United States, legal or otherwise, especially of people from countries in which the preeminent religion is not Christianity, and the prevailing skin pigmentation is not white. They're sending rapists, murderers, criminals, and some, I assume, are good people. There are several very troubling aspects to this iconic Trumpian comment. His use of the term "sending", as if illegal immigration is part of a highly organized, planned conspiracy, a project. Who, exactly, is 'sending" these people? Governments? Placing by inference all illegal immigrants into the category of deadly criminal is a propaganda technique somewhat remindful of Hitler's remarks about Jews. Trump's campaign began with the sort of blatant lies and false assumptions which have characterized every day of his administration. But his policies towards immigrants have kept his campaign promise of being unwelcoming to them. Ironically, the current huge surge in the number of asylum seeking refugees began not long after Trump, with his anti immigrant policy, took office. In fact, none of the people trying to get into the United States nowadays are "illegal" in any sense of the word. They are legitimate seekers of asylum, asylum from violence, poverty, hunger, and death. Furthermore, the terrible economic and social conditions which adhere in the countries whence they come are due, in large part, to united States foreign policy, including policies of exploitation and subordination of Latin American countries. The chickens, as it were, are coming home to roost, and being greeted with treatment more horrible than any American could possibly imagined prior to the Trump era, I dare say. Good Americans hang their heads in shame that we have allowed our country to behave like this towards desperate people; ripping families apart, separating parents from their children. locking people in cages like animals for weeks without proper diet and comforts. Forcing refugees to pay a "fee" to enter the country". The Americans who approve of this brutal Trump policy, laughably, are generally the Americans most likely to self identify as "Christians", and the Americans most likely to consider the United States a "Christian nation", with pride. The United States has always been a white supremacist country which was founded by violence and conquest of indigenous civilizations, and built largely with slave labor. Nor has the United states ever, ironically, been welcoming towards immigrants. This immigrant nation turned against immigrants early and often, as early as the eighteenth century. So really, all this, Trump and all, is nothing new for the United States. But shouldn't we, however, at least have the integrity to erase the words on the Statue of Liberty: They make us seem hypocritical, and have, for a very long time.