Letters to the Editor: Stop twisting a tragedy into a trend

Stop twisting a tragedy into a trend

I am deeply frustrated with former President Trump’s ongoing bashing of immigrants. His remarks in Grand Rapids insinuating that undocumented immigrants are animals is just one example of many. Sadly, Trump cited a recent murder by an undocumented immigrant to “support” his hateful accusations. What poor logic! A single murder by a person unlawfully present in the U.S. does not imply that such persons are dangerous. The vast majority of murders are committed by U.S. citizens. Does that mean that we citizens are dangerous? In fact, studies show that the crime rate for immigrants is lower than that of rest of the population.

I am also upset that Congressman Huizenga is imitating Trump’s rhetoric. In his March 28 Huddle newsletter, Huizenga similarly used the murder in Grand Rapids to suggest that undocumented immigrants are dangerous. Is this what he calls leadership? What about all the dangerous, difficult jobs performed by these vulnerable immigrants? What would our nation do if we suddenly lost these workers? We are indebted to these newcomers and should be repenting of the way we exploit them.

I would like to share a far more truthful, compassionate perspective, which I found yesterday in the introduction to Pope Francis’s 2023 book, “I am Asking in the Name of God.”

Francis states: “Let us think of our brothers and sisters who are migrants and refugees. They are often the concrete and living proof of the disastrous consequences of the problems of the world in which we live. Let us open our hearts to them and extend our open hands to those who have traversed thousands of miles with their families with the sole objective of being a little happier. It is they who are escaping, but any one of us could be in that same situation.”

Mary Johnson

Holland

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Stop twisting a tragedy into a trend