Yesterday I was at the intersection of Houston's S.W. Freeway feeder (also known as U.S. 59) and Hillcroft St. As I was waiting for the light I noticed the license plates of the vehicle in front of me. It wasn't like the one I have - a plate with bright red letters that say University of Houston Cougars. It said U.S. Government, DHS. The white van was brand new - kind of sleek looking, with some black trim. It had no letters on the doors, just a small DHS seal at the left front. The windows were tinted, even the front windshield (I thought that against the law). Yet as I peered into the back window I could see a cage like barrier. I realized that this van was used to transport people to detention centers. Moving to the lane on the left so I could make a u-turn - I passed the van on its left side and unsuccessfully tried to see the face of the driver. The window was tinted too dark to see much of anything except his/her left arm.
A feeling of sadness came over me. I thought of the people who have been taken away, the DREAMers who have been deported. The hundreds of thousands that Obama has sent away since he became president. I wondered how our country, said to be established on the basis of a Bill of Rights could allow such a thing. For a moment I forgot that most of the Founding Fathers were slave owners. In 1850 carts were used to haul away runaway or disruptive slaves. Today sleek new vans are used to remove people who don't have the right type of permission to be in this country. Never mind that the numbers of those who can legally come here is strikingly small; never mind that if you have a few hundred thousand dollars you can immigrate easily.
MTH
1 comment:
I question the fact that the young illegal immigrant who recently committed suicide "because he would not be able to achieve his dream of becoming an enginer due to the fact that he was here illegally". First of all, in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry signed a law that allows illegal students in Texas the right to go to Texas colleges at in state tuition rates...something that I couldn't do if I wanted to, even though I am a citizen of the United States just because I don't happen to live in Texas. Second, the blame should fall on the parents who came into this country ILLEGALLY!! and brought their children here, knowing the risks that they and their children would face. We have laws in this country, whether people agree with the laws or not, they are still LAWS and the family chose to break our laws!! Again, Texas does not have laws that would have denied that young man the right to go school in our country (and the Texas law goes against the laws in our country).
Post a Comment