Opinion: Playing with migrants' lives is inappropriate

On Christmas Eve, busloads of impoverished migrants arrived in Washington, D.C. These men, women, and children were abandoned near the Naval Observatory, residence of the vice president. The caravan was sent from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as a publicity stunt to highlight the burden that immigrants supposedly impose on border states. Abbott apparently forgot that Christmas Eve is traditionally a time of hospitality toward strangers, beginning with those in Bethlehem.

Fortunately the wise men and women at a church on Capitol Hill came to the rescue, as did a mutual aid group. The tired, poor, huddled individuals yearning to breathe free are now sheltered, but their future remains uncertain. So far, their American dream has been fitful.

Inhumane behavior towards migrants -- especially those of color -- has marked 2022.

The Washington Post reported: "Abbott began offering asylum seekers free passage to immigrant-friendly Democratic cities on the East Coast in April, an effort to pressure the Biden administration into cracking down at the border. Other Republican governors, including Arizona’s Doug Ducey and Florida’s Ron DeSantis, have also sent buses to New York and the nation’s capital."

While American politicians have long used gimmicks to make their points, these governors went beyond sloganeering. They did not say "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!" as the Whig party did in the 1840 election of William Henry Harrison. Nor did they chant "Make America Great Again." Actually, these politicians did not use many words at all. Instead, they dumped cold, frightened, confused travelers off by the side of the road in a city that was unfamiliar to them. It was, CNN reported, 18 degrees.

Migrants play a complex role in American life, contributing in ways that Abbot does apparently not consider.

For example, The Brookings Institution stated that, in the 2022 midterm election, 33% of Latino voters polled said they voted for Republican candidates. How odd it is to leave these potential future voters out in the cold.

Immigrants serve in the U.S. military at a notable rate. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, more than 158,000 members of the armed forces have been naturalized since 2002. Mexico is one of the top five countries of birth among those naturalized.

Christmas dinners this year in the U.S. included many blended families. According to The United States Census Bureau: "Increases in immigration from Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia in the past couple of decades have provided a larger pool of potential spouses who are foreign-born and racially or ethnically diverse, which has contributed to the growth of interracial/interethnic and mixed nativity marriages."

The typical American family includes friends, relatives, and neighbors who were not born in America. This diversity has long been a hallmark of American life. Norman Rockwell, famed painter of mid-century Americana, captured multiculturalism on the April 1, 1961 cover of the Saturday Evening Post. At the bottom of a richly painted tapestry, Rockwell painted the religious text: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

How odd that Greg Abbott should forget The Golden Rule at Christmastime. From over a thousand miles away, he toyed with human lives.

It is easy to forget that Republican leaders once employed a mature and reasonable tone when pursuing their causes. President Ronald Reagan, in his Statement on Signing the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, said: "Our objective is only to establish a reasonable, fair, orderly, and secure system of immigration into this country and not to discriminate in any way against particular nations or people." Democrats may think Reagan went too far, but few accuse him of stooping to cruel stunts. He acted like a leader, not a troubled child burning ants with a magnifying glass.

So what does today's Republican Party stand for? Does the party have a clear governing philosophy regarding immigration, with specific legislation and outlined courses of action? Or will 2023 bring more hot-headed stunts where human beings are used as political pawns for bumps in the polls?

It is up to constituents in all states to write their leaders and demand accountability. Views on immigration will always vary from party to party, but the health and welfare of migrants should never be jeopardized.

We are a nation worth protecting from outside forces but also from destructive forces that come from within. Each life has value, regardless of skin color, language, or place of birth.

Jordan Barkin is a freelance writer published by The Hill, USA Today, US News & World Report, Hearst, and Gannett. Barkin is a former associate editor at Hearst Magazines. He lives in York, South Carolina.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Playing with migrants' lives is inappropriate