The Open Forum We must see the human cost of the crisis at the border
Your Associated Press article and photo of the young, migrant father and his daughter drowned in the Rio Grande brought tears to my eyes.
We, as a nation, cannot allow these tragedies to continue.
Politics aside, the humanitarian crisis that is happening on our doorstep needs to be addressed directly by Americans. We have so many of means, and these migrants have nothing. Many local, Texas organizations are helping. Please research these groups and contribute.
My wife and I reacted with tremendous emotion to the photo on television of the migrant and his daughter who perished in the Rio Grande recently. We were so effected that our first impulse was to ask why this photo was shown to a national audience. But as we thought about it, we realize the dire need to let all of America know the true human costs of this ongoing tragedy.
The details keep getting worse. How can we truly consider ourselves as compassionate and taking the moral high ground when we not only create this problem of inhumane treatment, but cannot put forth the commitment to resolve it. How many deaths of infants, border crossers and other detainees does it take for us to fully recognize that this is not who we are as Americans.
These two were from El Salvador, trying to escape a desperate situation, and for a better life. Why did they have to pay with their own lives? My grandparents all safely walked across the border from Mexico. Our family name, Ramirez, is the same name of these unfortunates who did not make it across the river. Beyond being connected by name and culture, these were human beings like us. We need to
At the heart of the issue is Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant, racist leanings. He could easily resolve the problem and ease the suffering of the detained kids who languish dirty and sick without adult care.
But he prefers to let them suffer because he thinks their plight will get media coverage in Central America and slow migration to the U.S. To him, it is a game. His view is callous and a shame. Send letters of 250 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 5990 Washington St., Denver, CO, 80216. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1201.