What to do about the influx of refugees and immigrants?

 Donald Trump cast all immigrants and migrants as terrorists, dangerous people, and a money-sucking nuisance. That was a surprising attitude since his mother was a poor immigrant and his wife, an immigrant looking for a better life too. But, as we know, Trump gained power by preying on the destitute in countless arenas. He's the big guy that steps on the little guy to get ahead. 

Trump thought a big wall and inhumane treatment of immigrants would solve the problem, but obviously that didn't work as we have many immigrants at the border. What is a country to do?

Humane treatment

No matter what happens, the first priority is humanity. Immigrants and refugees must be treated with humanity.

Consult the experts

As in any field, I am sure that there are many dedicated, humane experts out there that have some great ideas as how to work with this problem--bring them in, talk to them, craft some promising ideas, and follow through. 

Evaluate who these immigrants and refugees are and what role they can play in our country

As with any group, these immigrants and refugees are not a one-size-fits-all group. It's likely that they are a combination of many of the following circumstances and situations:

  • People too afraid to live in their homelands for fear of violence and death.
  • People whose homelands did not provide them with jobs, food, homes, freedom
  • Energized people looking for the American dream
  • People who have been abused by their situation over time and who are broken, violent, hurt, and not mentally or physically well for all kinds of reasons
Match the people with the best paths available including the following:

Training Programs
Many small colleges and schools have closed in the recent past throughout the country. Secure those facilities as training facilities for migrants and refugees that have the health, energy, and ambition to be trained. Train them in needed career areas. Pay the trainees a small stipend and give them room and board. One area that will really improve our country is to have groups of public employees who can fix up broken down houses, littered communities, bad roads, and neglected parks--like conservation corps of the past, perhaps some of these young, energized immigrants/refugees could be trained for those jobs.It may be good to open these programs up to people in the USA who need or want further training too.

Intern Programs
Companies and communities throughout the country could welcome immigrant families and individuals for intern programs in their communities. The intern program would come with a salary and training for a specific number of months or years, then the immigrant/migrants would be free to continue on their own. These programs could be led by companies, farms, other industries, and families that need more help. These programs would require oversight so that the program or people are not abused. 

Immigrant Community
In places desolate and less populated, immigrant communities could be created that serve as a kind of co-housing environment with large gardens, simple lodging, training programs, and other structures that give these immigrants and refugees a safe and positive path ahead. 

Work with leaders around the globe to solve this problem
Every country owns this problem. World leaders have to work together to create humane, positive, creative solutions to this situation. 

Share resources in advantageous ways
Many of the countries that immigrants are coming from at the southern border are beautiful countries with wonderful resources. It could be that some kinds of positive exchanges of opportunity, land, and resources are created to support immigration and migration in and amongst the countries. 

I'm not an immigrant expert, but I do know the following:
  • The roots of the immigrant/refugee crisis run deep and are mainly caused by greed and oppression over time and poor, greedy governments. Every citizen on Earth owns this problem, and we all must work together to solve it. 
  • Rather than see immigrants and refugees as a burden, see them for the energy, enthusiasm, and will to live well that they are--utilize that energy and ambition in postive ways for our country and the immigrants/refugees themselves 
  • Most of us in the United States have immigrant roots--our ancestors were no different than the many immigrants at the border looking for a better life. 
  • We can solve tough problems in positive, humane ways if we devote good time, energy, expertise, and dollars to the problem. 
  • Political hype wears thin for problems like this. We lost four years to Trump's inhumane, backwards, make-the-problem-bigger, bogus leadership. It's time to take the problem seriously and deal with it. The more we ignore it or deal with it in insufficient, inhumane ways, the greater it will become. 
Let's go.