By Robert Warren
In June of 2012, President Obama authorized the deferral of deportation for illegal alien children in the United States. When news of this decision reached the people of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, it was seen as an invitation to come to America’s southern border and freely enter the country. Thus began the historic and unusual mass movement of “children”.
However, whenever large numbers of “children” move without protection, malevolent forces will take advantage of them. Some will be human predators waiting for their chances to terrorize, abuse and profit from the opportunities created. Some will be animals that attack those who are inexperienced, vulnerable and lost. Some will be insects and pests that constantly bite, infect and torment. Ultimately, diseases will bring weakness and even death.
Without a doubt, there are real concerns about what is the compassionate way to handle this situation. Is it compassionate to separate children from their parents and essentially see them turned into orphans in a strange land? Is it compassionate to scatter them across the nation without proper supervision, housing, food, education, healthcare and other social services? Is it compassionate to turn them into a low paid, uneducated labor force that competes for jobs with Americans?
The American people are rightfully concerned about their own social and financial costs. In many towns and cities, public facilities and social services are now strained to the maximum because of immigrants who cannot speak English, require extensive and costly care, and bring crime and disease. And suddenly here come the “children” who are certain to be a new burden on taxpayers.
The question now is who is the more compassionate? Those citizens who want to see the “children” reunited with their families in their homelands, or those who want them to stay in the United States but cannot or will not provide adequate support? A choice has to be made – and not by partisan politicians but by the American people who will have to find compassion in the hard choices associated with “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
Dr. Robert A. Warren is the founder and past president of the Colonial Area Republican Men’s Association (CARMA). The group’s blog can be found here.
