My ancestors came from other countries and landed in America. Some of them were Dutch and others were German. My great grandparents came here in the early 1900s, and they used their skills to build their businesses which served those who lived in the communities they lived in.
They did well here in America. My uncle asked my great grandmother, whom we called, 'Oma', "Why did you not stay in Austria?" I believe he asked this while watching the Sound of Music, which was the area where my great grandmother grew up in. She replied, in her broken English tongue, "You can't eat the flowers." Yes, Edelweiss grows well in Austria, but one cannot make a living from the flowers which grow in the Alps!
I learned from a distant cousin I met on the Internet, that my dad's great grandparents came from Alsace-Lorraine. Alsace-Lorraine was owned on and off by the Germans and the French. My ancestors came over here and worked with produce and meat. They had a market in Orange, NJ, which they started. They helped build the economy here, and became part of the fabric of our society in New Jersey. They probably came here for economic reasons, but, they also may have come here for religious reasons as well.
Ancestors from Alsace-Lorraine |
My ancestors became American citizens and never went back to their old countries to stay. They lived the rest of their lives as law abiding citizens in this country.
It is interesting to look at old census records, especially in New York City. Lots of people came into the city. The people from whatever country they came from, settled in specific places in the city. For example, you can find groups of Italian families who came in and settled in a particular area in New York City. The same way with the Germans and even the Irish. There were people from Russia who came to New York City, as well as those who came from France and England. Many nationalities came together in this place. These people were the builders of our society, as we know it today.
But what has happened today? We still have immigrants coming into America. We have a lot of people going through the process of becoming American citizens. Our country continues to grow. But there is a problem.
People come to America for a variety of reasons today. Some stay here, because they have a work pass and are working here for a period of time. Others may be here because a relative or family member came over and decided that America was the place to stay, and they want to join them! But there are those who come over here for the wrong reasons too. There is a lot of drug smuggling, and one way to get drugs into the country is to bring them into this country. Also, there are people here who are trying to escape living in a Communist country, or a country with a harsh ruler. Some are also prisoners, trying to flee the country they live in, so, they choose to live here. And some just want the benefits of living in America without the hard work of living as a citizen here.
When the Left makes accusations of the President being a bigot or prejudice, they are trying to make a case against the President to make him look like a bad guy. First of all, the President in no way, is against immigration. What the President is after, is specifically 'illegal' immigrants.
I have heard enough of the opinions from the Left concerning this subject. When they are in conversations about immigration, they intentionally leave off the word, 'illegal' to try to make it look like the President is against all immigrants. The Left wants the world to think that the President thinks America is better than everyone else and that he hates everyone else. They are using this whole thought to discredit him in this area. But nothing could be further from the truth.
What is the problem with having illegal immigrants living in our country. On the surface, probably not a whole lot. The problem comes when the Left starts elevating the illegal immigrants above the American citizens. It has come to the point where illegal immigrants are receiving the privileges that only belong to American citizens. Not only that, it costs money for the American citizens to host these illegal immigrants who want to live in this country.
Think about it this way; There are a lot of children who need homes. Many were not wanted and have been put up for adoption. Adoption is a great option, and we need people to adopt children. But could each family take in 25 children or more? That would be kind of hard for us to do. The need is great, but, no one could afford to raise that many children in one home.
The problem that the Left has, is with boundaries. The Left does not want us to place boundaries on these people who come to our country and live here illegally. The Left has a different set of boundaries for society. The kind of boundaries the Left lays out would be put around Christians who believe the word of God is true. The Left would call the words in the Bible, 'hate speech' simply because it puts boundaries around them that they don't like. But the Left doesn't want the American boundaries placed around the illegal immigrants because they want the illegal immigrants to be one of their 'victimized' groups that they can come to their rescue. In return for their 'being rescued' by the Left, the Left depends upon the illegal immigrants for their votes. They are even trying to make laws in California to make it legal for illegal immigrants to vote!
So yes, the problem is not with immigrants. Not at all. The key word is 'illegal'. If someone comes to this country and wants to receive the benefits of being an American citizen, then go through the process to become a citizen. There is a way to do this, and it can be done right!
People who support 'illegal' immigration should always leave their doors unlocked. Their homes should be made open to the public, so, whoever wants to come in should be able to, any time of the day or night. There should be no restrictions on these 'visitors' either. They should have full access to everything in the fridge, and should be able to use the wi-fi connection as well. Make sure the visitors know where the credit card is too, so they can help themselves to whatever they need. They have had a hard life and they deserve better.
While we have illegal immigrants here in our country, we can take advantage of this situation by sharing the Gospel message with them. Pray for those who are around you, and don't become bitter because of their taking advantage of American privileges. Perhaps this is God's way of positioning them so they can hear the Gospel message and be saved. They may be here for a season, even illegally, but God can have mercy on them and convict them of their sinful condition and their need for a Savior. This may be the only opportunity for them to hear the Gospel message.