Young immigrants and Donald Trump ~ What Would Jesus Do?

Echo opinion from Tulsa World in Oklahoma ~ This particular echo was originally published post the terrible Donald Trump weird and cruel Easter twitter rant but as Christians are celebrating the Easter Season and on the eve of Eastern Rite Easter, the opinion letter is even more timely. 

Editorial writer Ginnie Graham: Trump's (un-Christian) Easter message against DACA recipients mean-spirited

Eastern Rite Christians ~ a religious tradition of peace

Before heading out to Easter services, Donald Trump took a few moments to threaten 800,000 young immigrants and grouse about his political opponents.

Just what Jesus would do.

“Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. ‘Caravans’ coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!” ~ Tweeted the un-Christian Trumpzi

There is a lot to unpack in that randomly capitalized statement, but the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ~ in other words, young immigrants) is the reference that stuck.

Trump was mean.

Many immigrant children and youth live in religiously devout families and were also celebrating the holiest of Christian holidays. To have this darken a day meant for families and faith was unnecessary.

If he believed such a sentiment needed to be tweeted, waiting a day would have shown some mercy, restraint and moral empathy.

DACA refers to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a policy that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation. It’s been a political lightening rod.


At times on Easter, my thoughts wandered to the DACA kids I’ve come to know through the years. Many I met while they were in high school or college and are now moving into young adulthood.


A majority can’t remember their arrival in the U.S. because they were babies, toddlers or preschoolers. Some didn’t know they were undocumented until they reached driving age.

Those who can remember often tell harrowing tales of survival.

They have grown up as any other American kid: Going to school, playing sports, joining the band, dating and calling Tulsa (Oklahoma) home. They have attended college and have career plans.

Since 2001, Congress has had a chance to take up the pending Dream Act, which would provide an avenue for these youth to apply for legal residency and possible later citizenship.

It’s not an amnesty. Only a narrow group would qualify, based on the eligibility standards.

DACA was a temporary bandage to push that along. The Obama administration memorandums establishing the program only staved off deportation; it didn’t provide residency, only a legal limbo.

Still, these kids clung to that as hope that they would one day be recognized as full Americans. 

They signed up and trusted that the government would find its way to a better immigration system. It’s their only option.

Trump announced DACA’s end last September, but federal judges in New York and California issued injunctions until lawsuits over its continuation are resolved.

Immigration reform is the never-ending stalemate in Congress. It’s clearly frustrating the president, as it did the previous two presidents.

Right now, the DACA kids are caught in the middle. That’s not right.

While I worried for these young Oklahoma residents that day, they didn’t let it dampen their moods.

“I had a great Easter with my family,” said Jordan Mazariegos, past president of Dream Act Oklahoma and a DACA recipient.

“His tweet can be an indication of new policy but, quite honestly to me, he says one thing one day and another thing on another day. It’s in the courts now, and that’s the decision I’m waiting on.”

Trump’s immigration tirade didn’t end there. He issued tweets later claiming Mexicans were “pouring in” to take advantage of DACA and blamed Democrats for the immigration reform failure.


The statements are misleading, at best, and ignorant at worst.


• The “catch and release” policies have been around since at least the George W. Bush administration. It refers to border patrol agents releasing apprehended low-risk immigrants near the border with an expectation they will appear later in court. Trump signed a cruel executive order in January 2017 to end it, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in October that the practice was continuing.

• The reference to “caravans” refers to about 1,500 Central American immigrants traveling together in Mexico as a power-in-numbers strategy in the violent regions. Accounts vary on whether any intend to cross the U.S. border. A story about this aired on the Fox Network’s “Fox & Friends” show Easter morning, which likely prompted the president’s thought.

• New immigrants do not qualify for DACA. That can only be used by youth who arrived before age 16, have lived continuously in the U.S. since June 2007, have a spotless record and are working, attending school or serving in the military.

• DACA was terminated by Trump, not Congress.

• Democrats have been part of Dreamer-related legislation, including at least two proposals in the Senate with bipartisan support, which failed to get 60 votes needed to move forward.

“I never thought I’d ever say that I can’t take the president of the United States seriously, but he keeps going back and forth,” Mazariegos told me. “He needs to stop.”

The U.S. desperately needs immigration reform, and reasonable people need to find common ground. But on this day, when the president was on his way to his own worship service, this was out of line.

Sacred holidays of major faiths ought to be reserved for messages of goodwill and peace.

What would Jesus do?  Check out the Beatitudes as taught during the Sermon on the Mount.  "Blessed are the peacemakers...."