Where Do We Go From Here?

As our nation’s birthday comes into focus tomorrow, celebrating with parties and events, travels and fireworks, hopefully a good time for all,  I’m haunted by my feelings...seeing the influx of newcomers to our country; haunted because of my attitude towards these people who are comprised of mostly women and children.  Anger comes to the surface, and I’m wondering why and where my anger originates.  What makes me so nervous to see these people literally invading my coveted space?  MY country.  

Yes, I know we are a nation of immigrants, and we ask, who doesn't belong here?….we all belong.  But as of late, at least in the last ten years, our country has struggled with the laws to satisfy the majority of people, citizens and noncitizens alike.  How do you satisfy everyone?  How do you come to equality for all; no separations by language, color or ethnicity?  How do we create these laws without people being hurt by them?  

Now we have thousands of people flooding over our borders, and I thought of myself and my selfishness came to the surface. Opportunity for jobs, tell me how does an influx of people help those who are already living here legally and out of work?  I does not.  

I’m thinking back to the second world war, the camps which housed the Japanese for those years during that war.  Looking back, and recently reading the stories that were told, on all levels it was wrong, but what could have been done differently?  I think about these illegal immigrants and don’t want to think inhumanely, I want to be fair and give them food and comfort.  I don’t want them mistreated, we are a generous nation; our spirit is good, but what in the world do you do with so many people coming across the borders all at once?  

Should camps be built to house these people?  And for how long?  We can’t educate them, our country seems to stagger under its own broken education system as it is.  Monies that should be put into the system, but isn’t, what do you say to people who can’t speak our language? How do we feed the hungry masses?

What do you say to people who had their hopes raised by smugglers, by dishonesty, by threats of bodily harm?  How do you save these people when they come here to be saved?  And how do we keep our own people from anger between each other in disagreements over these rules and basic lack of regulations?

My anger seems to stem from the unknown, the broken systems.  How do you send people back to who knows where?...the paperwork fills the steel files and overflows the waste baskets until the floor is as littered as the bodies lining the floor. The unknown, unknowing, where do we go from here?  I wish I knew, and frustration and anger rings us all out raw.