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As conflicts rage around the world, refugees and immigrants continue to descend on the U.S.-Mexico border. They face the obstacles of leaving everything behind and overburdened U.S. immigration courts. In Congress, both Republicans and Democrats continue their debate on broader immigration reform.
Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette says 2024 will be the year of the immigrant. Around the world, Navarrette predicts, humans everywhere will be packing their things and planning their move or their escape towards a safer or more promising future. He encourages politicians to plan ahead and to arrive at workable solutions.
There’ll be a global phenomenon that’s not limited to the United States. And to some degree, it’s already underway. All around the world, people are on the move. From Northern Gaza to South America, they’re changing zip codes in a quest to change their fortunes. Or maybe they’re just leaving for their own survival after facing famine, war, poverty, corruption, violence, even natural disasters.
At the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Border Patrol Agents report encountering people from dozens of countries. It’s not just Mexico that sends them. People are coming from Russia, Ukraine, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Venezuela and elsewhere. These people have one thing in common: desperation. They’re out of options. And so they’re coming to the land of second chances, the United States, where you don’t have to be perfect, and the only thing you need to own is a dream.
These folks should look familiar to you. These are the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Maybe you’ve heard of them. Maybe they look like your parents or remind you of your grandparents. They’re coming here to work, not for a handout. And they’re hoping that America lives up to the promise that’s printed right there in the brochure. Sadly, they’re likely to find out otherwise. Too many Americans want to pull up the ladder after them. The political parties don’t understand immigrants, and so neither one of them is much help in crafting a solution.
