AMERICA!

This summer marks 23 years since we landed at Miami International Airport. My family and I were heading for Chicago where I would pursue graduate studies at Trinity International University. I can still recall the drive to the Windy City. The long drive ensured that the five of us remained a close-knit group – that bonding was necessary for the cold winter years in the mid-west.

Our immigration status did not allow my wife to work and I was allowed to work only on campus for what I learned later was minimum wage. The money with which we travelled from Jamaica was finished in three months. I began my graduate program with no scholarships. With our first child in high school and the others at the junior high and elementary school levels, one could just imagine the magnitude of the fiscal challenges we faced.

My wife and I knew the immigration rules, and we were not prepared to break them. We felt that our time in America was consistent with a divine call. We also felt that if God had opened a door for us, He would provide for us. Apart from the risk of being caught and the likely deportation that would follow, we knew if we played dishonestly, we would be robbing ourselves of the moral authority we needed to guide our children. In addition, we would be undermining the standards of integrity by which we sought to guide our lives.

God honored our stand and our status changed in a miraculous way – that’s another story. Our new immigration status enabled us to work. Although some of the jobs were very menial, the money earned affirmed our dignity and strong work ethic.

Not every family can share such stories about coming to America. It is believed that about 60% of white immigrants to the American colonies between the 1630s and1780s were brought here as indentured workers. However, while half the European migrants to the 13 colonies were indentured servants, at any one time they were outnumbered by workers who had never been indentured, or whose indenture had expired.

Slaves were among this “never indentured” category. The first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco.

Unlike our situation, many families were destroyed because of immigration practices in the United States. Sometimes the immigrating families must be blamed. The truth is, when we pursue financial gain at any cost, usually, our families are affected.

By now everyone is aware of the tens of thousands of unaccompanied children crossing our Southern border that have created a national crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis for these children who have been sent by their families to travel thousands of miles on their own. Many are physically and sexually abused along the way, others never reach their destination. All too often, Border Patrol agents discover small, lifeless bodies washed up on the US side of the river that marks the border between Texas and Mexico.

All forms of migration affect family life – either for better or worse. As a nation, Israel never recovered when Assyria removed most of the men from the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE. Today we still talk about the ten lost tribes and the bastardization of the Samaritans.

We as a nation, need to have a serious conversation about the impact of migration on family life. Some of our laws need adjusting to reflect an appreciation for stable family life. No nation can succeed without stability in the family.

As my wife and I prepare for U.S. citizenship, we have become so much more aware of the American experiment. Part of my personal preparation included reading Dr. Ben Carson’s book, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future. In addition, we viewed Dinesh D’Souza’s film, “America: Imagine a World Without Her.” We strongly recommend both resources.

Those resources reminded me of what the American experiment was all about as well as cautioned me about the threat of revisionist history to distort the value of that experiment. As someone who lectures in religion, it is frustrating to come across revisionist literature that attempts to undermine the role of religion in American history.

As a beneficiary of the American experiment I am eager to obtain citizenship. I want the privilege to vote – to influence the branches of government. I want to be sure that when I hear the words “we the people," those words include me.

When faced with the reality of living away from their homeland, God said to the Jews – “build houses and settle down...seek the peace and prosperity of the city ...pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).