#WeNeedToTalk: So This Really Is Who We Are

The Cruelty of ICE Raids and the Lies We Tell Ourselves About Patriotism

Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash

There’s something particularly evil about watching families get ripped apart, then the very next day, the people who cheered sat in pews, raised their hands in worship, and claimed the name of a man they would’ve hated if he were here.

Jesus would be the very person ICE would target.

And yet, here we are.

Let’s be clear: acknowledging that our immigration system is broken is not the same as endorsing this kind of dehumanization. You can advocate for reform without embracing cruelty. You can demand better border policies without stripping people of their dignity.

But too many people don’t seem interested in solutions. They’re interested in punishment and moral superiority disguised as “law and order.”

They call these people “illegal aliens” — a term that, yes, is uniquely American in its dehumanization. Other countries have immigration categories and processes, but few lean into language designed to strip people of their humanity the way we do. “Illegal” is not a person. “Alien” is not a species. These are human beings.

Why do we do this? Why are we okay with this?

Is your fake patriotism really so fragile that it requires you to have an enemy?

Have we become so desensitized to everything that we’ve forgotten what it means to be a good person?

What exactly do you want from these people? So many of them are going through the proper channels and trying to do things the right way. They’re filling out the paperwork. They’re showing up to their court dates and interviews. And they’re still being hunted.

It’s funny that we know exactly how to find and detain hardworking immigrants trying to build a better life but we still can’t seem to hold our own leaders accountable.

We can locate undocumented families in seconds, but can’t find a way to prosecute the people that stormed the Capitol, or the men who brag about sexual assault and still get elected president? So maybe we do know how to deal with criminals in this country we just prefer to elect them.

What we’re witnessing isn’t about safety, immigration or border patrol. It’s about power and cruelty.

And if your version of faith allows you to cheer for a system that traumatizes children, brutalizes families, I need you to ask yourself who you’re really worshiping. Because it ain’t Jesus.

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