Reflection on the Border Crisis
Helen Man
A dramatic footage was aired a few weeks ago on Fox News network: the scene opens with a border patrol car patrolling the border, its headlights shining into bushes as a frightened 5-year-old boy in filth and tatters cried and ran out. The officer immediately stopped to investigate and inquire in Spanish, “Who is with you? Are you alone? How about your mom or dad?” The boy was hysterical and stretched his two arms longing for the officer’s embrace. As he settled the child into the patrol car, he sighed and wondered, “Here’s another child abandoned in the wilderness by ‘snakeheads’ (smugglers who help people enter the US illegally). He said he hasn’t eaten since yesterday. I’d better send him to a detention center soon…” (footnote 1) According to the news report, some parents will pay ‘snakeheads’ to bring their children to cross the US border, however, occasionally these children are abandoned. Some snakeheads would bring other people’s children and falsify their relationships, claiming that there is a slight advantage for refugees with children to be settled in the US. Because of a loophole in the federal immigration policy, the number of children who were brought to the US illegally are nearly 800,000, with some claiming to be 1,800,000. The actual number might be higher. Some children are kidnapped and sold to snakeheads, and some illegal underage girls are sold into prostitution.
Hard to Secure Our Lengthy Southern Border
The border crisis is not a recent phenomenon. It has persisted in the last few decades with no signs of abating. Large amounts of illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants enter into the US, and members of gangs such as MS-13 often become a part of the undocumented group that threatens the safety of our country. This is a direct consequence of the Obama administration’s open borders policy. In 2014, Obama announced that there was a border crisis because of the huge influx of unaccompanied minors who are trying to enter the US without any legal status.
The border that the US and Mexico share is lengthy; the borders can be crossed by walking, driving, or by boat. Most refugees arrive from the impoverished Central American nations. As one of his campaign promises, Trump insisted on building a wall at the border; to the extent that on Dec 22, 2018, he shut down the federal government to push for funding, which the House eventually granted. He also threatened to announce new tariffs on Mexico if the government does not stop the flow of refugees. Mexico agreed and the number of undocumented immigrants decreased by 40%, the lowest in our recent history, earning the approval of the secretary of homeland security of Trump’s policies.
Unfortunately, when the Biden administration took effect, the president signed executive orders that overturned much of Trump’s policies, such as energy and foreign relations; tax hikes, reinstate abortion rights and LBGQT+ rights, promote critical ‘race theory’ and ‘cancel culture’. Among the policies that reversed Trump’s agenda is the immediate ceasing of the border wall building and the loosening of the restrictions on illegal immigrants. The border crisis is a direct result of Biden’s policies. According to the US Customs and Border Protection’s March 8th, 2021 report, 172,000 illegal immigrants were detained, among them nearly 20,000 were unaccompanied minors, some as young as the age of three, setting a record for the highest number of undocumented immigrants in a month since 2009. Since Biden’s inauguration in June 2021, the border patrol had intercepted 900,000 refugees attempting to enter the US, which is substantially more than double the amount of illegal immigrants in 2020. This number does not even include those who had successfully crossed the border illegally.
Where can we find the land of happiness?
America has been viewed as the land of opportunity; this causes people to employ all sorts of illegal or risky methods, accumulating huge amounts of debt just to gain a foothold in this country while spending years in the US toiling to repay the astronomical costs to cross the border. The perils of border crossing are evident in the news coverage of many tragic consequences of illegals’ failed attempts to enter the US: some had died in the back of a truck, or of heatstroke in the Arizona desert, even drowned in the sea. Some might have repeatedly been picked up by the border patrol but they would ceaselessly attempt to cross again. Many have also use marriage as a means to gain entry, only to find themselves in a human trafficking trap. If one must immigrate to another country, it is important to proceed legally.
The biggest blessing: to become a citizen of heaven
As humans, we always long for a better living situation or environment. I myself have seen my parents trying to find a more favorable environment to raise their children. Our family left China to take root in Hong Kong, then immigrated to Canada. Like the US, Canada is a peaceful nation with a good social safety net and benefits. Freedom and human rights are inalienable rights. My parents and I accepted Christ and we became citizens of heaven, realizing that this was the most important blessing.
There isn’t a land of happiness to be found on earth because all have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard” Sin and wickedness are found in any society. No one can hold tomorrow and know what happens the next minute — one moment you might be strong and able, but the next day you might be bedridden with another disease. Just as the Bible said “we shall return to the dust of the earth” No matter what we accumulate on this earth, soon all my accomplishments and assets will be forgotten. Even for someone like Moses in the Bible, who had certainly led an interesting life, would reflect and wonder at his deathbed “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10) From where can true happiness be found? How do you attain a life of fulfillment and contentment? Please consider the following:
1. Joy comes from the assurance of salvation
To have the assurance of everlasting life, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and become His children, to have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life — this is how we can have meaning and joy in our temporal lives here on earth. The Bible says that “whoever believes in the Son (Jesus) has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)
The omnipotent and true God loves you and I so much that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to take the form of man and came to this earth, so that He can accept the full punishment of our sin by dying on the cross, and to be raised from the dead three days later, thus proving that He indeed is God’s Son. (John 3:16) God won’t give up on us because of our past wrongs. When death no longer bounds us, we’re free to live as His children with an assurance of salvation.
2. Blessings abound for God’s children
When our sins have been forgiven and the gift of eternal life is received, we also become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us and comfort us, whether we are on our deathbed or facing hopelessness. We will never feel alone because we have a peace that transcends all understanding.
3. In Christ is where our lives’ joy and blessings are rooted
Though our lives on earth might be short, we are filled with peace and joy that give our lives meaning and purpose. Our lives are renewed and we desire the glory of God. If you look around you, haven’t we been surrounded by God’s chosen people, blessed and kingdom-minded? May you understand the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, receive the gift of salvation and the blessings from above, this indeed would be the most important matter in your life!
（Sources: internet search）
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