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Opinion
Border crisis: Reflections on then and now
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Ah the border crisis. Everyday on the news we see hundreds of illegal aliens boldly walking across our southern border. Reports are that they come from almost every country in this modern world. Some 302,000 this last month and no indication that there is any end in sight. That large number doesn’t include what they call the “Got Aways” the ones that sneak in without reporting to the Border Control authorities. Somehow those arriving all seem to be well dressed in clean clothes.
Since this began, the towns along the border became quickly overrun with their undocumented visitors. The local towns and cities didn’t have the credentials to deport the visitors or send them back across the river so they came up with the idea of chartering busses and sending them on to larger cities on north. The choice was easy because the large cities like New York City, Chicago and many others had passed legislation making themselves Sanctuary cities. The idea was to not cooperate with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to deport illegals back to where they came from as had been the practice for ages. No those democrat run cities protected the undocumented visitors from our law enforcement officers and allowed them to stay.
The idea of Sanctuary Cities is interesting. Turn to our Christian Holy Bible and you will note that the Sixth Commandment prescribes “Thou shall not kill” which originally meant murder. In Numbers we find the establishment of “Cities of Refuge” where persons who had accidentally killed another could go and live in safety from the prescribed punishment which was determined by the Chief of Priests. The plan is laid out in the book of Numbers. The person that had arrived in the City of Refuge was safe to live there but couldn’t leave unless pardoned by a new Chief Priest.
Now we are seeing that our current sanctuary cities are getting fed up with the burden of taking care of their undocumented visitors and are crying for relief from the federal government. They want money, our tax money, to continue to protect their unwanted brethren from ICE. A simpler solution would be to rescind their sanctuary city status and have their local police turn the unwanted visitors over to ICE for deportation. It must be tough to continue to vote democrat!
I can only imagine what it would be like for you and me to live along the border today. Back in 1959 my new bride Ann and I lived just north of Mission, Texas while I went through Air Force pilot training at Moore Air Base. We paid $27.50 a month rent for the on base tiny unairconditioned house but we were newly married and in love. (Still are!) Moore was just off highway 83 only a few miles from the Rio Grande River, then and now the border of Mexico.
We took many trips across the border to shop, dine and occasionally to attend the bullfights in Reynosa, Mexico. Each time crossing the border it was necessary to process through the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint leaving the US, then cross the bridge across the Rio Grande to be processed by the Mexican officials to be granted passage into Mexico. Same thing coming back. No problems we felt safe and well-accepted by the Mexican citizens.
Several years later we journeyed to Reynosa and on down to Matamoras with our children to spend Christmas in Mexico. Traveling in our mini motorhome we attended midnight-mass and then slept parked on the street in Reynosa. Sadly there is no way I would now venture into our neighboring country with the thousands of immigrants passing through with the cartels in charge. Thank you President Biden.
Personally I am wondering if we have any illegal aliens living in or near our local community. McCook stepped up to provide shelter for legal aliens escaping from Vietnam at the end of that war and several have become good citizens and lifelong friends of our family. Welcome.
Recently I was visiting with a local lady near my age that told of four families that lived in four old boxcars on the tracks not far from the McCook depot. The four sets of parents had immigrated from Mexico and established homes in those old boxcars. There they raised their children. They earned their keep by farm work in the local area. Several of the young men served in the military during WWII. At least one became a teacher in our high school and many married in the local community. Some of my grandchildren have Latin blood from those original immigrants to our community and I couldn’t be more proud.
It will be interesting to see how many of the current hoard of immigrants that are coming to this country will integrate into our society as so many have done in the past. Yes our country will change and hopefully for the better. Still we are the most wonderful country on earth and I can only pray that it will become even better.
That is how I saw it.
Dick Trail