Build The Wall, End Sanctuary City’s & Be Compassionate / #DACA #politicalscience #criticalthinking #empathy #socialresponsibility #positivedisruption

Has the United States government allowed or failed to retain foreign access to its Southern border, thus allowing millions of individuals to enter the country illegally, rather than through legal processes and channels?

In 2009, I visited the Central American country of Guatemala. A land steeped in culture, history and a population of citizens living in striking contrast to one another. Whereas the indigenous population of Mayan-descent Guatemalans have largely managed to retain customs and ways traditional to the indigenous ways of the mountainous and volcanic land, Guatemalan cities teem with an economic reality that exemplifies class inequality and stark social-economic class differences. On the front page of the morning newspaper I read about legislators nonchalantly telling the local media that they showed up at 11 am in the morning for work and not sooner because none of the other legislators ever showed up earlier than that time. My then-brother-in-law at the time, commented on the seriousness of the issue with muggings in the city. For those who could afford it, tall walls would be built around city homes to safeguard family and personal property. In one incident, right before my arrival into the country, and just two streets away from were I was staying, a man on his way to the bank had been walking with his bodyguard when an assailant opened fire from across the road firing bullets which hit another person. Multiple injuries and one death.

These are the symptoms of an economic system that is dysfunctional, and not serving the better interests of the population. Rather, as in any land, in any community, be it on the local and/ or national level, the education of individuals must be a versatile learning experience dynamic that goes beyond teaching the classic academic subjects, even technology (STEM), and gravitating towards real-world application of learning through social entrepreneurial project formations that integrate math, technology, writing, business skills, social activism, even public speaking, as long-term solutions for grounds-up community solutions. Instead of students as solely receptive sources of informational, educational leadership turns the tables, and prompts the students to be creative and innovative sources in real-time. In this format, the learning dynamic happens in the classroom and in the community. Students metabolism is in greater constant flux, directly impacting their energy and focus, aiding in the continuance of novelty and engagement in the learning process.

All this is to say, is that any community in the world can shift the kind of culture and economic realities it may have as a collective people, through the creation of a new kind of work force. One that is not heavily sided towards creating employees only, but a greater balance wherein aspiring students become professional entrepreneurs, as well as leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Not just lawyers, but lawyers who know how to operate their own firms. Not just construction workers and auto mechanics, but laborers who have it ingrained in them from early on in grade school that they can be the proprietors of their own profitable businesses. Not just focused on making money also, though there be nothing amiss if many simply focus on that, but seeking to make money through the creation of a business that answers a real community need. In valuing the vehicle of social entrepreneurship as an application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, societies begin to establish an output of socially-minded individuals who are interested in following this pathway of servant leadership and business, and these become builders of community, ‘first responders’ that operate in especially focused and long-term capacities. Any country valuing the worth of having an active community of individuals who are seeking business-solutions to addressing social needs, will soon institute it into their academic system and begin reaping the benefits as they students graduate and begin careers. Like waves reaching the shore line, a population versed and experienced in the modes of social entrepreneurship becomes an increasingly empathic community that values human life, culture and social order. It brings a business-mind to social activism, allowing any entrepreneurial adventuring knight to create hybrid projects which bring together one’s interests with what a local, national, global community may need.

That said, in the midst of its present social-economic diaspora, Guatemala, nor do most countries, including the United States of America, have caught on to the intelligent growing of individual liberty through the development of the nation to be social entrepreneurially savvy. A great dynamic shift happens from power in the government of and for the people, to people exercising great power in directly bringing viable, practical solutions to social needs and concerns. This lessens the government as an outlet of need and the people learn to better self-govern themselves through the practice of empathic capitalism. Thus, government capital expenditure need not be allotted towards top-down solutions which will not be nearly as profitable and passionately-driven as an individually-led, ground-up business answer to alleviate or settle issues ranging from poverty and homelessness, technology and science applications, to opiod-addiction and environmental care. Moreover, a socially entrepreneurial nation is one that is strong in critical thinking and the protection of human rights. These all become great participants in a democratic society. Such foundations in the growth of liberty can have American support in the Central American nations of which people flee from.

Until such educative and social-economic ideals of social function are in sufficient enough operation, present economic realities will pervade people in Central American countries to seek better life in the United States of America. It is understandable that people do not want to live in high-crime areas, low economic opportunity areas, but in communities where they can walk safely down the street, possibly raise and access better education for their children. In the U.S., in most towns and cities, we have social order unlike any other country in the world. America is a magnet for its freedom, access to education and social order. Not having to live under degrees of oppression feels great. People flock to the country legally and illegally. So much so that during President Barack Obama’s term, 16,000,000 Central Americans entered the United State illegally, overrunning our national borders. The macro social-economic and political implications of this wave of social disruption shall be felt for one hundred years, at which time it will have completely changed the face of America.
Change can be good, of course, but the sudden disruption of 16,000,000 Central Americans moving from their land and into America in less than ten years should give cause for concern and reflection as to how quickly the United States wants to change its demography again on such a large scale and in a such a short time in the future. The changing dynamics of relationships, between individuals, governments, and cultures on different levels, including changes in the political atmosphere due to such an immigration influx, is and will be, as a large, continuous wave of political-identity-change for the United States of America. With similar religious affiliations of Christianity, the arrival of so many Central American inhabitants has been made easier because of the shared Judeo-Christian foundation that is identified with the United States, even as it is a land of religious freedom. Catholic Christianity is the biggest religion practiced in Central America. In contrast, in Germany, Prime Minister Angela Merkel, also ushered in a great influx of Middle Eastern refugees in comparison to Germany’s overall population. There has been community assimilation, though there is a large very low-income Middle Eastern population sector living in near poverty within Germany. They have unified as a democratic-political force to demonstrate for better access to decent living standards and public services. There have been reports of Muslims both demonstrating peacefully and at times rioting on the streets of Germany. Recent large influxes of people from Central America in the last ten years have not produced riots on Main street, USA, though it appears vicious Mexico-border criminal gangs have entered and perpetrated crimes within our borders. Many of these have since been apprehended. How did they so easily cross into the United States? From a political science view point, it is responsible that the pace of immigration be taken into account and that it be a legal, orderly process. That means a line has to be formed for those wishing to enter the United States of America. Part of that line is the ‘wall system’ that needs to be rapidly built to secure America’s southern border.
Within the United States, Stamford, Connecticut, for example, has dozens upon dozens of individuals who are illegal immigrants congregate in the heart of the city willing and able to work. 12 months of the year, year in and year out. They are always there. The police officers do not arrest them and the judges in the Stamford Courthouse are not deporting them in any substantial numbers at all. In fact, those men are in no fear of being deported.

But what has happened to the city?

It now is identified and targeted from beyond our border as a landing area that welcomes the illegal immigration process.

Community Centers, like the New Covenant House in Stamford, Connecticut go out of their way to not ask particular questions related to immigration status, and therein, run soup kitchens and facilities for homeless people that are in actuality not servicing a substantial homeless population, but in fact, providing almost their services, to a population of Central American families who are entering through ‘chain migration’ thus, some having residency and some, no residency at all. With better national border control, what are known as sanctuary cities, cities that have governments openly flaunting federal immigration procedures and declaring themselves to be above the law, would cease to exist as havens that evade immigration laws. But the government of these sanctuary cities openly mock the federal government in defiance and continue to operate, business as usual.

At New Covenant House, I sat within twenty feet of an administrative meeting in March of 2018 wherein the kind of demography serviced was discussed, as were processes and financial operation of its services in full detail. It was as if they verbally audited themselves. I reason that the work they do is good, and yet, they are sounding a signal to people far across our heartland and deep into Central America that more can come. Our judges, and elected leaders have gone beyond compassion, even bending the law for the benefit of the plight of the immigrant poor. We have cared as a people, even to a fault dividing ourselves politically. Now is the time to shift strategy and operate in service to our community, and no longer to continue to grow the community without regard to those here already. This means no more massive immigration expansion, instead we should focus on bettering the quality of life for those already here. As it is, unfortunately, obstinate as people are, sanctuary city governments and court houses will not cease to operate under the old strategy unless they are met with a Federal, congressional and U.S. Supreme Court balance of state and city power.

Public services are available to ease the transition, is the message being sent. 
Surely, they should continue to care for the recently arrived immigrants and those in their family who may be legal residents too. It is humane and compassionate. The Federal government needs to enter the vacuum of immigration oversight, the political and judicial administrations of cities known as ‘sanctuary cities’ have created, yet how can it do this when city governments and its respective court system judges are ideologically aligned against a fair and balanced appraisal of how to best proceed forward on immigration into the United States of America?

3. Federal sanctions need to be quickly brought into place against sanctuary city governments and their courthouses.

4. A U.S. Supreme Court review and determination of the conduct of judges in the Stamford Court House should be used as an example on how to proceed with 
judiciaries in other sanctuary cities.

Stamford Court House

5. Has the creation of a support system to the notion of ‘sanctuary cities’ sounded amplifying signals far into Central America?

New Covenant House is one support system of the sanctuary city gateway construct, and should continue to do its good work, but not as a promoting gateway to illegal immigration. Instead, as a place of refuge and provisions for the poor homeless man and the immigrant family already here. The politics of Stamford, Connecticut have turned it into a sanctuary city resource that openly targets and aids people with no immigration status. So the good that they do has political underpinnings that are social-progressive in sympathy, eventual, focused on growing the Democratic Party leadership base as it falls away from the abortion industry “litmus test” hold on Democrat Party elected office seats. In effect, Democratic leadership has found a new lifeblood of political energy through collective collusion in weakening immigration laws allowing a large entering of illegal immigration, giving new impetus to social-progressive culture to flourish. Social-progressiveness, the ideological political platform of the Democratic leadership is a top-down movement, as opposed to the Republican, ground-up approach of focus on individual liberty and limited government, only in place to serve and protect. It is then, a battle of ideas, with one side unfairly shifting the tables, not turning them around, but shifting them to acquire a population of new constituents loyal to the party that brought them into the country. It is a slow, coup d’ etat.

Surely, focus has to be turned to helping those here now. We have to feed the families that are in need. This is what America does. Let’s not forget the homeless on the street and the deep poverty existent already in our communities though. Rather than help those here, the release of national border restraints has overtaxed infrastructure at a time when it would have been best to answer plights and social issues besetting us as a nation. Now as we begin to ramp up the calls for stronger national border control, Democratic leadership, both in elected office and that in the media, call ‘foul’ to Republican leadership in Congress as it answers the ground-up political momentum to formalize the entry process into the country.

… build the ‘wall system’, and sanctions have to be brought forth to make sanctuary city governments and judicial systems to heal to the rule of law.

Compassionate immigration and paths to citizenship for those present needs to continue and still be a legal and orderly process, otherwise, we are not securing our borders and ensuring the safety of all Americans, be they Mexican-American, African-American, Vietnameese-Mexican-American, ect., This safety we all deserve as residents of the United States of America is invaluable to us. Thus, from a political standpoint that is found best to politically support the current resident numbers of all people in the US, a perspective that moving forward, controlling the flow of immigration is needful and responsible stewardship of the land should be common ground that moves us beyond having the same old political arguments. America’s Democratic leadership call to be compassionate in immigration is groundless in the face of the facts that compassion is and has been shown to the people of Central America for decades. As stated in his State of the Union address in 2018, President, Donald Trump, even has gone beyond to create a path to citizenship for 1.8 million Hispanic residents seeking the citizenship.

What more can be done to show America’s compassion?