We are a tribe of immigrants. Yes, we Americans...but also this little tribe of four. There is usually not much reason to talk about it, but this weekend pushed and pulled at things that run deep. Mr. Tribe is a permanent resident with a green card, and we brought our Julia to this country through adoption almost exactly fourteen years ago.
This weekend I thought about how Mr. Tribe was detained when we arrived in Chicago from the UK. It was probably about an hour of uncertainty and bewilderment. What if it had been days or weeks? I wondered what would have happened if we were told that our daughter was not welcome in this country when our plane touched down. Things can apparently change in the time it takes for a plane to fly from one part of the world to another these days.
This weekend I thought about how Mr. Tribe was detained when we arrived in Chicago from the UK. It was probably about an hour of uncertainty and bewilderment. What if it had been days or weeks? I wondered what would have happened if we were told that our daughter was not welcome in this country when our plane touched down. Things can apparently change in the time it takes for a plane to fly from one part of the world to another these days.
Our hearts go out to those caught in a cruel, sudden web of fear and hate. Refugee families boarded planes with hearts full of nervous hope and disembarked into a nightmare of uncertainty and confusion. Others who thought their road to resettlement was about to begin find themselves back in the limbo they have experienced for years on end already. Ninety days is a very, very long time (and noone is saying that this will all be over in 90 days). It is the exact amount of time we spent living in my wonderfully generous and compassionate sister's family's home after our visas were unexpectedly denied in the UK. We were told we'd have to leave 5 days before we needed to be gone. The four of us left our home in London and arrived in Chicago believing we'd be there for three weeks. Day after day, we made inquiries into the progress of our visas. Days stretched into weeks, and weeks stretched into three months.
Uncertainty is a gut wrenching soul suck.
Uncertainty is a gut wrenching soul suck.
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Our lives were put on hold...and for us it was only three months. We had family and a home country to come home to. We did not have employment, health insurance, transportation or friends, but we knew the language, had a bank account, and a place to sleep. I can't even begin to imagine the terror and loss and pain and death and peril that these refugees have experienced. They have gone through years of vetting too.
I've been helping Mr. Tribe study for his citizenship test. One of the questions asks why the first colonists came to America. An answer is: "for religious freedom". Another question asks two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy. One of the answers is: "publicly support or oppose an issue or policy".
Our tribe spent this weekend making and writing postcards to our Congressmen. We stood with fellow compassionate souls at the International Airport. It felt like a tiny something.
Refugees are victims of war. Please don't make them victims of our fear.
Everyone deserves a home.
Love,
Jane
I've been helping Mr. Tribe study for his citizenship test. One of the questions asks why the first colonists came to America. An answer is: "for religious freedom". Another question asks two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy. One of the answers is: "publicly support or oppose an issue or policy".
Our tribe spent this weekend making and writing postcards to our Congressmen. We stood with fellow compassionate souls at the International Airport. It felt like a tiny something.
Refugees are victims of war. Please don't make them victims of our fear.
Everyone deserves a home.
Love,
Jane
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