Lies

I understand that most if not all politicians lie at some time in their political lives in order to get ahead and win elections. 

It is however quite another thing to base your electoral platform and governance on lies and conspiracy theories that you know are false but that you believe will win you votes. 

One example is the recent action by the Republican governors of Texas and Florida to send Venezuelan refugees to the New England, New York and Washington DC in order to score political points with their followers before the upcoming mid-term elections. 

They lied to the refugees in order to get them on the buses and planes without telling them where they were going, and then bragged about it in the media afterwards.

While some may argue that New England, New York and Washington DC are far friendlier places for refugees (indeed American northerners are perceived as generally more refugee friendly than southerners), the use of subterfuge to undertake a move for strictly political purposes is immoral and legally unacceptable since immigration is a function of the federal government. Indeed, people are free to move across the United States at will, but to use refugees as political pawns is inhumane and immoral.

Worse is the reaction I have seen, in social media, from many Venezuelan residents of the United States who are calling on the federal government to deport the Venezuelan refugees since they did not enter the country “legally”. 

One wonders if the Cuban American or Nicaraguan-American communities in Florida would ever seek to expel their countrymen who migrated to the U.S.in a similar manner. 

There is no doubt that these complainers have swallowed the far right-wing Kool-Aid lock, stock, and barrel.

These actions underscore the basic lack of compassion that many in today’s Republican Party have, and the need to resurrect the humanistic approach to politics that was the hallmark of this party decades ago.

They also underscore the need for a meaningful dialogue between moderate Republicans in Congress and Democrats to negotiate a rational and workable immigration plan. 

Can this occur at a time when even those who were moderate Republicans know that the extreme wing that controls the party will throw them under the bus should they try to come to a consensus with Democrats.? We have seen this with Liz Cheney and others in this midterm electoral cycle.

Absent any positive alternative, this leaves people in southern states, who must bear the brunt of irregular migration, frustrated and susceptible to the politics of using refugees as political pawns despite the inhumanity of it all.

Could the situation have been handled in a more humane manner?

Had the governors worked with the federal government to relocate the refugees in an organized manner and keep them fully informed about where they were going, things might have been perceived differently – a wasted opportunity. 

Further north, Canada is an example for the Americans to consider. Canada has negotiated regulated visas for work arrangements with several Latin American and Caribbean countries. These allow workers to travel to Canada legally, work there for a limited number of months, and then return home. In many cases, these workers are rehired by their employers, and everyone is happy. They earn salaries, have health insurance, and work with dignity and full rights. 

Given the labour shortage across the United States, this would seem to be a logical alternative to reduce the number of people entering without proper credentials. 

Unfortunately, I am led to conclude that the presence of irregular migrants is a useful political tool for both of the American political parties to use in drumming up partisan support, and that the use of these unfortunate political pawns will not end for the foreseeable future.

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Edition: Estefanía Cardeña