Thursday, April 01, 2010
Exodus Today
So I began reading Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity. I was reading his thoughts on Exodus in the biblical narrative and a thought struck me, "There is a parallel between Exodus and immigration into the United States.
If you recall the Exodus story you remember that the relationship between the Israelites and Egyptians began with Jacob's family through his son Joseph. Egypt had the power but the relationship was friendly. The Israelites were given land in Egypt as a thank you for Joseph's deliverance of Egypt from the famine.
This was until the Israelites began to reproduce and outnumber the Egyptians. Pharoah fears being overtaken by the Israelites and takes drastic measures. He reduces the Israelites to slavery and slaughters their young.
And we now how this story ends: with the deliverance of the oppressed.
Now consider the present. I do not know when the first Mexican people immigrated into the United States or why. But what I do know is the practice of remittances (the earning of money in a foreign country and sending it home to your family) is the number two industry in Mexico, as it is in a number of impoverished countries.
We also know the relationship of United States businesses and immigrant workers has been one of exploitation. People like Cesar Chavez have helped to correct a number of abuses but many still persist.
We also know that in the 1990's, before the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, the House of Representatives did an analysis on the Treaty's anticipated effects. They learned the treaty would put thousands of family-owned Mexican farms (small businesses) out of business greatly increasing the flow of immigrants northward.
The response? Well, they signed the treaty. Then, concern about the coming increase in immigration led the United States to shut down it's metropolitan crossings so undocumented persons would have to risk their lives or long term health and cross 200miles of desert. You can learn more here. Folks here without a green card, in desperation, are then left vulnerable. They are often taken advantage of by employers who make the safe assumption that their legal status will keep them quite about low pay or other abuses.
Immigration policies have also become much tougher for those with a green card, often waiting 15 to 20 years or more for their families to be allowed to join them. Their need for survival pulls their families apart.
However, with families going hungry at home, many have been up to the challenge to meet the needs of their families at all costs. Immigration has gone up.
Now fear is setting in among my people in the United States. The statistics show we will not be the majority come 2050. Unemployment is high and people fear immigrants are taking their jobs. Our neighbors have come here due to the crisis they experienced at home. Now, we have our own and we are at a crossroads.
The question now is, "Which path will we choose?" Will we choose the way of Pharoah, by continuing current injustices that rob our neighbors of so much? Or will cities continue to cooperate with ICE and enact their own policies of raid and entrapment to profile and the deport immigrants, further tearing families apart and creating further injustice? Or will we choose the path of Christ who proclaimed, "Blessed are the poor"? Will we come together as a people and decide enough is enough? Now is a time for the sacrifice of love. Now is a time for justice.
Our neighbor has joined us in this land. Which side of the Exodus narrative will we be on?
If you recall the Exodus story you remember that the relationship between the Israelites and Egyptians began with Jacob's family through his son Joseph. Egypt had the power but the relationship was friendly. The Israelites were given land in Egypt as a thank you for Joseph's deliverance of Egypt from the famine.
This was until the Israelites began to reproduce and outnumber the Egyptians. Pharoah fears being overtaken by the Israelites and takes drastic measures. He reduces the Israelites to slavery and slaughters their young.
And we now how this story ends: with the deliverance of the oppressed.
Now consider the present. I do not know when the first Mexican people immigrated into the United States or why. But what I do know is the practice of remittances (the earning of money in a foreign country and sending it home to your family) is the number two industry in Mexico, as it is in a number of impoverished countries.
We also know the relationship of United States businesses and immigrant workers has been one of exploitation. People like Cesar Chavez have helped to correct a number of abuses but many still persist.
We also know that in the 1990's, before the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, the House of Representatives did an analysis on the Treaty's anticipated effects. They learned the treaty would put thousands of family-owned Mexican farms (small businesses) out of business greatly increasing the flow of immigrants northward.
The response? Well, they signed the treaty. Then, concern about the coming increase in immigration led the United States to shut down it's metropolitan crossings so undocumented persons would have to risk their lives or long term health and cross 200miles of desert. You can learn more here. Folks here without a green card, in desperation, are then left vulnerable. They are often taken advantage of by employers who make the safe assumption that their legal status will keep them quite about low pay or other abuses.
Immigration policies have also become much tougher for those with a green card, often waiting 15 to 20 years or more for their families to be allowed to join them. Their need for survival pulls their families apart.
However, with families going hungry at home, many have been up to the challenge to meet the needs of their families at all costs. Immigration has gone up.
Now fear is setting in among my people in the United States. The statistics show we will not be the majority come 2050. Unemployment is high and people fear immigrants are taking their jobs. Our neighbors have come here due to the crisis they experienced at home. Now, we have our own and we are at a crossroads.
The question now is, "Which path will we choose?" Will we choose the way of Pharoah, by continuing current injustices that rob our neighbors of so much? Or will cities continue to cooperate with ICE and enact their own policies of raid and entrapment to profile and the deport immigrants, further tearing families apart and creating further injustice? Or will we choose the path of Christ who proclaimed, "Blessed are the poor"? Will we come together as a people and decide enough is enough? Now is a time for the sacrifice of love. Now is a time for justice.
Our neighbor has joined us in this land. Which side of the Exodus narrative will we be on?
