Dear Supervisor Garry Bredefeld,

After reading your recent comments in support of ICE and against those voices speaking up in opposition, I am compelled to respond because your comments are one-sided, fail to understand the complicated history of immigration in our county and nation, and ignore the harm that ICE is causing many in our communities. My response is also prompted by the venom being spewed toward immigrants fleeing poverty and violence, immigrants who have already suffered from devastation and despair.

Juan Arambula
Open Letter

Why do I care so much? You see, my family came from a small village in Mexico whose motto is “hands that work and hearts that love.” I was taught by my parents to remain open to the plight of others, because sometimes we have more in common than we realize, and respect and tolerance for others can lead to a deeper appreciation for our differences. Your comments stirred emotions deep inside me, because my parents were also immigrants and my family and I were deported in the mid-1950s as part of Operation Wetback, even though I was a U.S. citizen. I have seen the harms caused to innocent people in my own childhood and seeing this ugly politics surface once again is deeply disturbing.

Additionally, I believe every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Our faith teaches us to treat the foreigner living amongst us as if they had been born here, and we are commanded to love them as we love ourselves. To have empathy for other human beings is our collective responsibility as members of the human race. We need to appreciate one another instead of turning against each other. As a local Dreamer recently wrote, “If everyone just took a second to look into the eyes of those of us that dream, they would see the same light that resides in their soul.”

What We Are Told About Immigrants

As you well know, however, in today’s hyper-political environment it does not pay to be soft on immigrants. We are told they are rapists and murderers who only come here to commit crimes and smuggle drugs. In this current climate of fear and anxiety over our country’s future, it pays to attack the immigrant, or at least to overlook their humanity and treat them with neglect and violence. This fear-mongering has re-emerged despite the fact that we are a strong, prosperous and industrious nation because of immigrants, not in spite of them. Immigrants have been the backbone of our state’s economy, from Silicon Valley to small rural businesses revitalizing local communities. Our country’s ideals have melded people from the four corners of the world into a truly exceptional society.

My simple plea is that you not harden your heart and overlook the nagging fear felt by many in our county’s communities, fear of being stopped while driving children to or from school and fear of being rounded up like cattle, beaten, incarcerated, and deported, all for the nerve of working hard for little pay. Families are being broken apart and children are suffering with uncertainty and constant fear. These are essential workers for our economy. We see them in our churches, supermarkets, and pharmacies, their children go to school with ours, and they contribute back in multitudes. Generation after generation, I have seen immigrants arrive wearing only huaraches and speaking little English, who quickly morph into generations of successful children and grandchildren, helping to grow our economy, care for our sick, educate our children, build our homes, and ensure our government serves everyone.

About Prop. 187

In California we saw this nativist sentiment with Proposition 187, Governor Wilson’s failed attempt to deny immigrant children a public education and medical care, based on appeals to prejudice and for obvious short-term political advantage. Our politicians failed us then, and they do us a disservice now by pointing fingers and assigning blame. We are better people than that, because even in difficult times we can preserve our decency and humanity. Please do not feed into this frenzy of the moment because we all remember the slogans of the past: No Irish need apply; no Mexicans allowed; Japs keep moving. We recall the exclusion of Chinese after they built our railroads, the internment of Japanese Americans, and the denial of marriage to Filipinos, as well as the mass deportations of Mexicans, including many U.S. citizens during the 1930’s and 1950’s.

Who are we talking about? The immigrants I know have a strong work ethic our nation and community need and rely on. They are inventive and determined, and they love their family and community. They were forced to leave their homeland because of persecution or poverty, and came to a country with a different language and customs, only to be tolerated and ignored at best, until they are rounded up and deported, all because they sought to survive and ensure a better future for their children.

Many of us ask why ICE is going after law-abiding housekeepers, gardeners, cooks, farmworkers, and car wash workers when our president has pardoned convicted criminals, drug dealers, and felons with life sentences, so why not pardon those persons whose only crime was coming to this country without the right documents or working without nine digits on a card. Instead of demonizing immigrants, why not focus on practical solutions like comprehensive immigration reform?

Serving the Entire County

Like you, I was once elected from my district to serve on the Board of Supervisors. Having served with folks like Deran Koligian, Phil Larson, and Sharon Levy, I knew we were elected to serve the entire county and everyone in it. Some people, though, can wear blinders just like a racehorse, looking only at what is in front of them so they can run as fast as they can, but it is not very helpful when they are going in the wrong direction. Take off those blinders so you can see the circumstances and conditions many immigrant county residents face daily. To serve in a public capacity is to enjoy a position of trust and responsibility. As a public official, I learned we have an obligation to ourselves and to the entire public to do our best. Garry, you can do better.

Despite the current pessimism and despair felt by many, there is hope in the air. My hope is that we find a way to remain faithful to our nation’s ideals and our humanitarian instincts, always remembering that but for the grace of God, it could be us in desperate need, fleeing violence, and on the outside, tapping on the window looking in. Remember the awful things said about past immigrants, and yet we have only become stronger and richer for their contributions and their presence.

There will soon come a time when civility returns, and all levels of government seek to serve the entire public, not just the rich and powerful but also the poor and downtrodden. In the meantime, what can we do when bullies attack our sister or brother, mother or father? To those with cellphones and prayers, I say thank you. You are brave and your outspokenness is challenging those with guns and masks. We are hurting today but we can heal tomorrow.

Statement From US Conference of Catholic Bishops

To this end, I share a statement by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that succinctly expresses my sentiments: “Oppose the indiscriminate deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” adding that “teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”

In the long run I hope we can work together. Meanwhile, I mourn for the loss of every soul killed or mistreated by ICE and the Border Patrol, whether immigrant or U.S. born. As President John F Kennedy said, it “is proper that we now, as descendants of refugees and immigrants, continue our long humanitarian tradition of helping those who are forced to flee.” Whether born in a mansion or in a manger. I recognize that immigrants have their own voice, but sometimes because of the risks involved, it is necessary for others to raise their voices too. That is what is happening now and that is a good thing. As Robert F. Kennedy said, “We fail to speak up and speak out, we strike a blow against freedom, decency, and justice. Immigration is like a rose, said another immigrant, Groucho Marx, so don’t let the thorns keep you away from enjoying the rose. We can watch out for the thorns, but the rose, like immigration, can be a wonderful thing, something to be appreciated, enjoyed, and cared for. Certainly not to be feared.

Garry, while tempting as it might be to mischaracterize my comments, I do believe nations have an obligation to protect their borders for their well-being. What I don’t support is the callousness and inhumanity with which we are once again treating our newcomers. Regulating borders and controlling immigration is not a license for cruelty, indifference, and dehumanization. ICE and other agencies have separated families, removed innocent people from our communities, and tragically contributed to the injuries and deaths of migrants and citizens alike.

So, you may call those individuals speaking out against abuses at the hands of ICE troublemakers or rebels. You can disagree with them or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, because they are changing things. I appreciate those voices because they are increasing public awareness of what is truly at stake. While they may cause discomfort to some, what they are saying deserves to be heard because, while we had been moving toward a more inclusive nation, one that mirrored the lofty goals guaranteed by our Constitution, more recently we have taken steps backwards. Acknowledging our past and reflecting on ICE’s current efforts, more and more folks are speaking up and letting their voices be heard. If this is trouble, it is good trouble.

About Juan Arambula