An old man was sitting outside his tent on a hot day as he saw three bedraggled strangers coming towards him. He didn’t stop to wonder if they might be criminals or human traffickers or drug dealers. This 99-year-old man shot up from his chair, ran to the men, and offered them water, food, shade, and a foot bath to clean and relax after their long journey. And he didn’t even skimp with the food: fresh cream, bread, and meat. Only the best for these worn-out travelers.
It was a hot day, and the young girl was drawing water for her family and animals. A stranger – older, stronger, and perfectly capable of drawing water himself – asked to drink from her pitcher. Without a moment’s pause to wonder why this grown man was asking a young girl for water when standing right next to a well, she gave him a drink and then ran back to the difficult task of pulling water out of the well so his camels could drink too. And as if that weren’t enough, she then offered him a night’s rest at her father’s home.
Whether you understand these stories as history or parable, there’s no denying that hakhnasat orḥim (welcoming guests) is a value at the foundation of Hebrew civilization. Avraham was granted the son to be born by Sarah and Rivka merited to marry that son. Both then became a patriarch and a matriarch of our people.
Hakhnasat orḥim is not an easy mitzvah to perform. It’s expensive. It’s time-consuming. It makes you vulnerable to being exploited by strangers and friends alike. Even so, our Torah beats us over the head with its importance. We have two of the most impressive role models in our history teaching us that we, as Hebrews, must care for the strangers who are asking for our help.
Yonah ben-Avraham recently brought to my attention that our sages teach (Sanhedrin 109a) the people of S’dom were destroyed because, despite having ample resources, they oppressed those trying to immigrate to their city.
There are human beings suffering every day in Central and South American countries. And while the roots of this suffering can be found in their colonization by Spain, who raped the resources of these countries and kept them in ruins to maintain control (so when they eventually gained independence they were starting from far below zero), the suffering has for the most part been perpetuated by the very same United States now trying to “protect” its own borders from the victims of its imperialist policies.
It’s important to note that many of the people living under $2 a day in Central and South American countries are making that much money by working in factories for US corporations. Many of them were used to living agrarian lifestyles until their main means of supporting themselves were destroyed by US corporations. Many are still suffering the consequences of the colonization of their countries (spurred on by… US and European corporations).
In my opinion, it doesn’t even matter why these people are coming to the US. It doesn’t matter if they’re asylum seekers or just trying to find a better life for themselves and their families. They’re human beings and deserve to have their basic needs of food, water, and shelter met without fear.
There’s no legitimate reason why someone born in San Diego should have access to the benefits of the US while someone born 20 miles away in Tijuana should have to suffer. If it’s because the people born in San Diego pay taxes, I no longer live in the US and I still have to pay taxes there. I’m happy to have my taxes go to support someone who doesn’t yet have US citizenship. And honestly, there are plenty of wealthy Americans who don’t pay taxes or find some loophole to pay way less than they should (maybe they should be deported?).
I’m not naive. I know that the people being held in the ICE detention centers crossed the border illegally. I know that some of them are possibly connected to gangs that traffic in drugs, children, and women. I know that if they had succeeded in crossing the border without detection, they likely would have worked illegally and without declaring taxes (at least, until they could manage to get citizenship or a work visa after several decades).
But the fact of the matter is that most of these human beings are simply strangers asking for help. It doesn’t matter that it may be expensive or time-consuming. It doesn’t matter that it might make America’s border more vulnerable. After everything the US has done in Latin America, the least they can do for those seeking better lives is to run to help them.
Those worried about drug cartels entering the US should support cutting the problem off at its source by promoting effective policies to destroy the drug market in the US. Offer subsidized rehab for people addicted to drugs and subsidized after-school programs for youth so they have an alternative. These cartels are only so strong in the first place due to the CIA’s support (who’ve subsequently flooded minority and low-income communities back home with the drugs) and the “War on Drugs” that has only exacerbated the situation further.
Those worried about human trafficking should educate the public on how to detect and report a person being held against their will. It unfortunately happens all the time in the US and it’s an issue that should be addressed whether or not people crossing the border are involved.
Those worried about migrants not paying taxes, first of all, get your head out of your a** and go after the wealthy capitalists keeping money offshore and hiring creative accountants to pay less than they should. Then make work visas more easily accessible so that these people – many of whom are extremely motivated to work hard and succeed – can contribute to the US economy.
Those worried that these migrants might take their jobs, work harder. My guess is that if you support ICE’s actions, you’re probably also a big proponent of the “free market” economy – you should know very well that if someone can do your job better than you for the same price or less, you’re going to lose your job, and it’s your own fault.
And a final word: it doesn’t matter what you’re worried about. These people are human beings and deserve to be treated as such, at the very least at a basic level. What humans are doing to other humans in those ICE detention centers is in direct conflict with the most foundational values we have. And if we were really being true to ourselves, Jews in America would go one step further and welcome those seeking a better life with water, a place to sleep, a feast, and perhaps even a foot bath.
