By Steve Walker
With all the coverage on the nightly news lately of the Central
American refugee children fleeing to the United States to get out of harm’s
way, I feel compelled to put in my two cents on the on-going crisis that is
escalating on our borders.
Night after night the national and local news bombards us with
visuals of thousands of unaccompanied children as young as three or four and
others making their way to our country from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Admittedly, it is a diversion from my normal past columns
highlighting positive contributions of Hispanics to our society to include
little known inventors or well-known local performers and those who served this
country in the military.
But my heart goes out to those children. As a retired teacher who taught in the
predominately Hispanic San Antonio community with numerous students who were
not citizens, it grieves me. It saddens me as a grandfather and as a fellow human
being.
There is something radically wrong when masses of children are
forced to travel hundreds of miles in terrible and unsafe conditions to seek sanctuary
and hopefully be reunited with family and friends.
Although I have not visited Guatemala or El Salvador, I have been
to Honduras many years ago on a missionary trip that included Nicaragua and
Costa Rica. I spend over a week in that country between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.
Honduras is now considered the murder capital of the world with San Pedro Sula
being the number one city. Last year alone in San Pedro Sula, over 1,200
citizens there were killed.
During my time there in 1987, I don’t remember it being so
dangerous. Maybe that was a good thing. I remember the people being gracious
and hospitable putting us up for a few days in someone’s home to conduct a
revival. Other than the heat, it was a pleasant experience.
What bothers me more is some of the reaction of a select few
Americans to the plight of those children. While most Americans are sympathetic
and are willing and wanting to assist them in their hour of need, others to
include politicians are spouting egregious rhetoric.
Murrietta, California comes to mind. Waving flags and yelling
ethnic slurs and accusing the children of spreading infectious diseases and
protesting and yelling obscenities for them to go home. It breaks my heart.
Closer to home, League City located near Houston recently passed
an ordinance to refuse shelter and assistance to the refugees in their town.
They were very vehement about it as well. Sad commentary.
Thank God San Antonio is not that way as a number of refugees are
being housed at a local facility while numerous local agencies are working to
ensure their needs are met and reunited with their families.
Now we await the Congress to determine if they will pass the
President’s nearly 4 billion dollar package to aid the refugees and re-locate
some of them here in the USA while others to be eventually sent back to their
country. At this time all we can do is pray and change people’s hearts on this
crisis.
As Always, I
write “Just a Thought.”
Steve Walker is a Vietnam Veteran, former Journalist and Justice
of the Peace.
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