He grabbed his phone and pulled up a picture of his daughter and beamed as he swiped through each photo, until one of the swipes was not a photo, but a video. It was a video of his almost 2 year old.
He was talking and said “When things get hard, I think of my kids. This is why I work hard. For them.” I nodded, because if I spoke tears would have poured out of my eyes.
The next thing he said was “They. THEY are my engine. They keep me going. This is for them.”
The tears came then; there was no stopping them. They came more when he said “I’ve never met her. My wife was 3 months pregnant when I left my country.”
The look of shock on his face when he saw me crying will stick with me for a long time.
Oh, yeah. I never mentioned this man is an immigrant. With certain policies going away, he will be considered “not legal” sometime in 2026.
He told me all of this on his own; I never asked, because I didn’t care about his status. I saw a husband and father wanting to provide for his family, and it was heartbreaking to hear his story and see the struggle so clearly on his face.
His goal is to earn enough to buy land and the materials to build a house—a safe place for his family to live.
He isn’t here to cause havoc; he’s here to provide for his family, and when he has sent back enough, he will go home to them.
The "only" thing this man will have done is remain in the country past when he is "supposed" to, because of an expiration date. His story has stuck with me. I can’t stop thinking about how something as ordinary as a date on a piece of paper can decide so much of his life.
Have you ever eaten a food that is a bit past the expiration date, think it’s fine, it’s not that big of a deal?
Why is someone (who by all other accounts is doing nothing else wrong) staying past the “expiration date” a bigger deal?
“It’s the law,” you’ll say. I get it. Laws matter. People matter too. Sometimes the way we enforce laws loses sight of that.
Let’s be real honest. We have all broken laws that we have decided are “not that big of a deal”.
Should agents come pounding on our doors and grabbing us out of our houses because we went 27mph?
Why is it okay for ICE agents to behave this way over a broken immigration law, but not for your speeding?
This is part of my problem with how we handle immigration.
I would love to have everyone be here legally. Truth is, the US makes it difficult to do so. I would love to have some sort of order. But there hasn't been, so it’s a big mess.
I don’t think the answer is to just clear out the country. I don’t know what the best answer is, but I do know it isn’t raiding and attacking people. I do know it isn’t going after those who have been here legally as refugees and now it’s been decided they can’t be. I do know it is not splitting up families. I do know it is not being chaotic.
Why don’t we focus first on people—of any status—who have committed felonies?
When felons of every “status” are arrested and convicted or deported, then we can decide if it’s worth going after the ones who are here without papers. We can decide if it’s worth going after the man who just wants to make a better life for his family.
I have a feeling we would never even get to them if we took the time to actually know people instead of assuming things.
Pretend with me a moment—
You’re in a car accident. Your car is on fire and you're trapped.
A stranger sees this and runs to help you escape.
You look at them and see their skin is brown.
What is your response?
A: “Thank you so much for the help!! You will save my life!"
B: “Are you here legally? Don’t help me if you’re not. You should not even be here. Go back to your country where you belong.”
Option B sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
Why would it not matter in that situation, but matter if your neighbor down the street, just living their life, has papers?
If you come across someone needing help and you can provide the help, what is your response?
A: to just help
B: ask for proof of citizenship before helping
Friends. Do you see the point? I am not asking everyone to agree on every policy idea. Life doesn’t work that way. I’m asking us to just simply see the people.
You can throw Bible verses about authority and I can throw verses about loving neighbors. Do not. I will not. This isn’t a Bible issue; it’s a human being issue.
No person is “illegal”.
The ones called “illegal”? They are living, breathing the same air as you, bleeding the same colored blood as you— HUMAN BEINGS.
Can we treat each other that way? Can we start here? With shared humanity?
It truly seems like a lot of people cannot get past status and put it before humanity.
That breaks my heart.
My genuine hope is that we can at least find common ground in acknowledging the humanity of those caught in the middle. I’m simply asking that we all see the living, breathing people behind the paperwork.
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I know this will stir up emotions, probably some big ones. My heart is not to argue, but to make people think. I am not here to change your mind, but to make you think, maybe see a different perspective. I respect your opinion might not be my own, I ask for that same respect back. Conversations are good to be had, but only if you're willing to listen to the other person conversing with you.
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