Can you imagine feeling so desperate and frightened for the future and life of your child that you would place them in a car, on a bus, in a plane alone, hoping that a family member far away will be able to find and care for them, knowing that the people your child is with only care for them as far the amount of cash you've handed over? Can you?
I talk often about the real moral evils my children deal with every day. And I rightly worry about the culture of death I battle every single day. They are real and frightening. But, they have a roof over their head, good food, clothing. If they went to school, I would not live in constant dread that they might not come home. I don't worry about gangs forcing me to pay "protection" money. I don't fear them witnessing a brutal attack on their father or rape of their mother.
I can't imagine feeling like the only hope for my child is sending them far away, indefinitely.
This is what I keep in mind as this whole "immigration" debate unfolds. These children are not criminals or somehow morally corrupt. They are innocent children. A culture of life does not criminalize them and simply demand their immediate removal back to the life-threatening situation they came from. We can do better. This is not about "open borders" or forgetting about the rule of law. Properly caring for these children does not mean either of those things. It is our duty as Christians to care for them mercifully and humanely.
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