Real quick, before I get on with my day:
I get that immigration is a complicated and divisive issue, but I like to think that most people would agree that separating families at the southern border is excessive. (I have seen no reports that this is happening at any other borders–if so, please let me know.)
Today, if you have five minutes, please consider calling your U.S. senators and ask them to support a bill called “Keeping Families Together Act.”
I called Senators Sasse and Fischer this morning, and staffers picked up on the first ring. When I’ve called their offices on other issues before, that rarely happens. People are there, and lines are open. It takes two minutes to say “Hey, I’m not wild about the reports of families being separated at the border. Can you please tell the senator to act on proposed legislation to prevent that from happening?”
Also, phone calls > emails > tweets. Even leaving a voice mail is better than an email.
Also, only call *your* senators. Calling senators from border states does nothing, unless you are their constituents. (And if you live in Arizona, please consider calling Jeff Flake’s office and remind him of the photo he tweeted earlier this week…)
I have to believe, at least for today, that we the people can still affect change, but it will only happen if we raise a little hell.
Here’s some links to statements from faith leaders and organizations over this new practice of separating families:
And finally, at the risk of hyperbole: if you’ve ever read or learned about events in human history where people in power excessively oppressed others and thought, “I would stand up to that. I would never let that happen,” it’s happening now. Do something.