By Jeb Bladine • President / Publisher • 

Jeb Bladine: Migration issues mix macro, micro

 

Most controversies produce macro and micro views of the issues.

Consider the humanitarian crisis evolving on our southern border with Mexico, where “the past two months have seen a huge spike in unauthorized migration, especially of families, into the U.S.”

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Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register.

> See his column

That's the opening observation in a compelling article on Vox.com, which delivers a macro view of the current crisis, its root causes and the challenges of failed leadership. One conclusion reached by writer Dara Lind is this:

“(President) Trump’s threats will likely cause massive collateral damage throughout North America, and aren’t even likely to stop people from arriving at the US-Mexico border — his stated goal. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem here, or even a crisis. It just means it’s not one that’s going to be solved anytime soon.”

Lind describes the surge in unauthorized migration within a context of past and current U.S. laws and Northern Triangle politics. It is a quick and absorbing read, found online here: www.vox.com/2019/4/11/18290677/border-immigration-illegal-asylum-central-america-mexico-trump

Jumping now to a micro view, as expressed in a hand-written note from Brother Martin Gonzales:

“Greetings from your brother monks at the Trappist Abbey.

“This past month, a faithful friend from San Diego went to his glory. Armando Rodriguez had a very meaningful life and career. I believe we met over 80 years ago, when I was in the 7th grade and he was in the 9th grade of Memorial Junior High School in San Diego.

“In my 67 years as a monk, Armando and his wife, Beatriz, have stayed in contact through Christmas and Easter greetings. … I’m enclosing a very interesting article on Armando from the L.A. Times.

“These days, when some people worry about aliens, and young students from Hispanic homes may need encouragement to get a good education, this article might help.”

Armando Rodriguez, the Times reported, “was brought to San Diego by his parents when he was 6. He didn’t speak English. The family crowded into a cottage so tiny he had to sleep on the floor … (E)ducation and sports – especially wrestling – became Rodriguez’s footholds into American culture.”

Rodriguez knitted himself deeply into the fabric of America. He went on to serve in education-related roles in the administration of four U.S. presidents. His story is found online here: https://www.latimes.com/sd-me-rodriguez-obit-20190221-story.html

Difficult issues like immigration — and homelessness — combine a complex and often conflicting mix of the macro and the micro. Thanks to Brother Gonzales for that reminder.

 

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