Countering the Racist Response to Young Central American Refugees

Commentary:
By Adam Gettinger-Brizuela, MA

Washington, DC– There has been little or no discussion in the national media of the overtly racist character of our response to the major humanitarian crisis faced by the approximately 50,000 Central American children and youth who have arrived at our southern border, desperately seeking safety.

A month ago, watching CNN here in Washington, I got to see a little piece of home that I found very disturbing. A crowd of violently angry Anglos had surrounded a school bus full of terrified Honduran children who had been bused to Murrieta, in North San Diego County, to shelter and feed them temporarily.

These were not tattooed-faced Aryan Brothers, jackbooted American Nazis or hooded Ku Kluxers, although they may have been in the huge crowd. The majority of these red-faced, raging people, screaming, chanting and banging their signs against the sides and windows of these buses, were completely ordinary-looking Southern Californians in shorts and sandals. I saw a woman with jeweled nails and Fendi sunglasses trying to get a grip on the side of the bus so she could yell through the window at the children “Get out! We don’t want you here!”

I cannot imagine a busload of refugee white children from the war-torn Ukraine (or even from Spain) being greeted with such overtly and viciously racist anger. Nor should they. America has always been a safe haven for refugees fleeing violence, or even hunger – so long as they are white and Christian.

The message I perceived was: “Welcome to America – You Don’t Deserve to Live.” For the first time in my life, I was ashamed to be from Southern California.

Julian apples and Ramona oranges? Not really. A few days later, again on CNN, I saw buses, possibly the same ones, pulling into the Imperial County city of El Centro, CA, less than 200 miles south of Murrieta. Here there was a group of people prepared to greet the children very differently: Well organized priests, nuns, social workers and community volunteers, most (but not all) of them Latinos, were as calm and reassuring as they could be as they escorted the children into a shaded place of shelter. Instead of signs expressing hatred, they had burritos, oranges, juice boxes and peanut butter sandwiches in their hands.

I saw this report just once on CNN. Maybe goody-goody good news like this is simply not “sexy” enough to stay on the air very long. Or perhaps the glaring difference between the way this situation was handled by the people of El Centro and Murrieta was an embarrassing admission of where we still are as a nation.

This past week (August 10 – 16), I felt good reason to feel proud of my country. President Obama had heard the heart-ripping screams for help from a besieged (non-Muslim) Yazidi people in Iraq and sent our Air Force into action to help save them from near-certain death by murder, thirst or starvation. It is amazing what the United States of America can do when we have the political will.

Within days, tens of thousands of Yazidis who had been marked for death had been rescued by sympathetic Kurds, an ethnically-related people who speak a similar language but are Sunni Muslims

The saving of thousands of desperate civilians is an historic and deeply humanitarian act of mercy. I can’t help but notice that a major reason the plight of the Yazidis came to the forefront was that they, like the Jews of the 1940s, have been targeted for genocide by others who despise them because of their “race.”

There is a phrase in social work “differential response” which refers to flexibility and cultural competence (or “cultural compassion” a phrase coined by San Diego State professor Kahalifa King.) In this case, the difference in the response by two small San Diego-regional communities was really astonishing.

Murrieta is a high-property tax zip code, in other words, there is a concentration of upper middle class and outright rich folks there. El Centro is at the opposite end of the scale, with huge economic problems and high unemployment.

Yet, when confronted with the opportunity to help a few dozen hungry, lonely, terrified kids, the wealthy whites in Murrieta literally chased them out, and the humble people of El Centro, of all races but mostly Latinos, opened their arms to them. There is a lesson in this for me, and the suggestion of a possible solution.

As tough as this problem is, I believe the federal government is overlooking a tremendous asset we have in the United States besides adequate money. There are at least 20 million Americans who can speak both English and Spanish. From this population, some of whom have already begin to donate funds and offer to help, a considerable force of volunteers could be amassed.

The fact that being an important part of the solution would be spiritually as well as materially beneficial to emerging, statistically underemployed American communities would be a net collateral benefit. This could not only save government money but be much more effective in helping the Central American minors cope with the reality of their situation and begin to heal from their trauma.

Those that must be returned need not be further traumatized by their time in U.S. custody. If, instead of being treated as unwelcome trespassers (or much worse) while they are here, these children and youths were aided by empathetic people of similar ethnic roots, the needs and rights of everyone concerned could be considered and respected. Neither “side” on the question of repatriating these youngsters would get exactly what they want, meaning an ethical and moral balance could be achieved.

For those who might scoff and say there is no time for beginning an undertaking of this size, I remind you that we are already in the situation and grappling with it, badly. I also submit that I am a bilingual American professional that feels called to help. Not only would I be willing to help create and manage a program like this, I know at least a dozen others – “Native American” Indians and Latinos — personally that I am certain would be willing to contribute.

We are here, Mr. President, let us help take care of our children.