Monday, June 18, 2012

Bring the children to me

Children have little or no say in what their parents do. That goes for children in the United States as well as for children in other parts of the world.

When a child's parents decided to make the trek north from Mexico to the United States, the kids are along for the ride. Wanna be mad at mama and daddy for coming across the river without the express written permission of the government? Fine. But don't take it out on the kids.

I have had clients who came to the states with their parents when they were children. These were folks who had spent their lives in Texas. They didn't know anyplace else.

But, despite the fact they had no life back in Mexico, they were subject to deportation.

Makes a lot of sense, huh? Send someone back to a country in which they have no life. A country they haven't lived in for a decade or more.

But finally someone in Washington has a little bit of sense. There are plenty of things that President Obama has done (or not done) to have issue with. His decision not to deport immigrants under the age of 30 whose parents brought them over when they were children is not one of those things.

People come to this country because they want a better life for themselves and for their children. They come here and bring their traditions and culture with them. It makes Texas a richer place. In our neighborhood alone, if you want Mexican, you're in luck. Vietnamese? Italian? Barbecue? Salvadoran? Thai? Drive up and down Long Point and you're bound to find what you're in the mood for.

How many countries have people lined up wanting to come in? Despite all the flaws in this country, people from around the world are willing to do whatever it takes to come here. Those who are up in arms about President Obama's pronouncement all seem to forget one little matter - this is a country of immigrants. With the exception of the Native Americans, none of our families are from here.


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