'Why Are We Bashed For Wanting Immigrants To Come Here Legally?'

MILFORD, MA—Many friends have been posting on social media about the latest news "trend": children being ripped apart from families, fake news stories and politicians lying and twisting the facts for their own agenda.

This is an edited version of my comment on one of those very posts. I try to stay away from big issues, as they tend to cause too much fighting. But this involves children who did not ask for any of this, and I ask that you take that into consideration.

It may be very selfish of me, but this a perfect example of why I don't follow anything other than local politics. There have been so many posts on social media and the internet about this issue, and it has been side-tracked so much that no one knows who to believe.

No child should ever be separated from their parents if the parents are doing their job correctly. That being said, if a legal American breaks our laws and is somehow sentenced to jail time, they don't usually have the right to cry "but my kids" (of course there are exceptions). The judges have and will again say "you should have thought of that before you broke the laws of this country." So, why should illegal immigrants be any different? They broke the law; end of story.

No real proof has been shown of what is being done with the children after they are taken for whatever reason. One or two photos have made the rounds, but that does not mean it's real or fact or even close to accurate. The children, once taken away, should be treated as children, not law breakers. They followed their parents, trusted their parents and should not be punished for their parents' crimes. I highly doubt they are locking children in cages and many have pointed out that the picture going around of a child in a cage has nothing to do with the matter at hand and was part of a staged campaign.

Again, you don't know who to believe. So instead of fighting over the past, how about we just find a solution and fast, so this doesn't happen? Washington is so busy backstabbing and blaming each other that nothing is getting resolved. We have turned what made this country great (our constitution, Bill of Rights, etc.) and have turned it into a disastrous, almost pointless, tiresome process and too many issues never get resolved.

It seems as though this country is being divided. So many protests and rallies, tragedies and unnecessary violence. People being pitted against each other, families arguing over politics and who's right and who's wrong. Long standing friendships and relationships, torn apart, and for what? Politics. This country was founded so that we could be free from the crown, free to make our own laws and choices.

Yet somehow, politics was able to take over, and look at what our country is being turned into. I come from Italian and Irish grandparents whose parents came over directly from Ireland and Italy. They came in the legal way. They worked in their home countries, saved and came over legally. They didn't have it easy, either. The stories I would hear about how the Irish and Italians were treated when they first came over in the start of the 20th century.

They, too, came to escape hunger and poverty and left for the sake of their families. Almost every immigrant has had to deal with some sort or discrimination at first. I am not saying it is acceptable; it's our history and you cannot change the past. But those who come here for a new life, to live the American dream, and did it the legal way, should not be lumped in with those who chose an easier, illegal way.

I know there are always exceptions for every situation, but why are those of us who think it should be done legally getting bashed so much? We love our country and are well aware it was founded by immigrants and made up of immigrants, so why is it wrong to want our laws upheld? There is too much hate and violence in this world, too many threats to our safety. So why is it so wrong to want to keep track of non or illegal citizens coming and going and enforcing our laws?

I'm not doubting that many immigrants come to escape harsh living environments. But, if that is truly the issue, and we are seeing an influx of immigrants from a particular country, why not see how we can help that country be better, so its people don't want to leave? I'm not saying invade or take over anyone and I know it's not always possible and yes, maybe I'm being unrealistic. Whats wrong with working together, see if we can use our successes to help others? Can we find solutions, other than what we have now? These solutions obviously aren't working. What happened to compromise and wanting a better world for our children? If we truly are the greatest country, why not use that to help, not invade or start wars or take in millions of people when we can't even take care of our own?

Or, maybe we should stop trying to fix the world, and work on our own country first? Most therapists and people in the psychiatric field tell their patients that they can't help anyone until they have helped themselves.

This article reflects my thoughts and opinions on the subjects mentioned, and do not necessarily reflect those of Patch, its contributors and sponsors.

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