So Donald Trump threatens to ship asylum seekers from the border to sanctuary cities. And amid the Twitter cesspool of performative snark, a hashtag springs up: #MyHomeIsASanctuary. People want to offer their homes to desperate migrants.
I don't know what if anything will come of this. It takes organization to accomplish such a practice. U.S. law is not friendly to such a thing. (Canada has a legal avenue for private refugee sponsorship. Why don't we?)
But the offering tweets lift the soul in a bad time. I came into the thread through a prolific tweeter from Minnesota: @BryceTache :
- "I’ll host an immigrant family. With gratitude and love."
- "We got a couple rooms for a couple of kids and their Moms.......send them here!"
- "I’ve had people on my couch in the past and have even converted part of my dining room into a fourth bedroom. "
- "We’re tight but there’s a roof, food on the table and care all around. "
- "Empty nesters who speak (rusty) Spanish have room for an asylum-seeking mom and 1-2 kids"
- "I live on 2 acres in suburbs of Richmond Va. I’ve been thinking how can I help an immigrant family for a year now."
- "I'm in Texas and we have a guest room. "
Which of our over-burdened, under-imaginative, non-profits will take on helping people make this impulse real?
Photo ganked from the Twitter thread.
Well you know it won’t be most of the churches, as they are mostly on trump’s team. And it certainly won’t be any republican family offering care and goodwill of the "other."
ReplyDeleteNo so sure about the churches Mary. My church (Episcopal) took on 3 asylum seekers a couple of years ago and that seems a fertile field for further organizing.
ReplyDeleteThe Central Valley desperately needs farm workers so I truly believe those wishing to find a place should come live in our towns. This has happened for decades, illegal immigrants coming to the farm communities and making a life for themselves and their families.
ReplyDeleteAnd like you, Jan, I disagree with Mary. We have churches in Fresno that have always taken in immigrant families, gong back to the early 1900s. Right now there are many Syrian families living here under the care and provision of churches.