Opinion call for American values: El Paso letter

Give me your poor,  "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus

How have we strayed so far from our core beliefs as a country? 

An echo opinion letter published in the El Paso Times

The United States is the land of opportunity, freedom and equality. We are supposed to be the beacon of hope for all the oppressed peoples of the world. 

All over the world, people are being subjected to unimaginable hardships from tyrannical governments or regimes. The only thing pulling them through is the possibility that one day they can make it to the United States of America: a place where with hard work everyone has a shot at success or at the very least have a better life.

What are we doing? Building walls on our borders and mobilizing the military to encounter asylum seekers. We are a global superpower. What we do impacts the whole world, and our actions are saying that we only care about people with money and privilege.

We must set the example for compassion, civility and respect for all our fellow human beings. These are fundamental human rights. Are we perfect? No, a long way from it, but we should not hoard the freedoms we do possess. It is time as a country we practice what we preach: equality, freedom, opportunity and, most importantly, hope for a better tomorrow. Because if we don’t, who will?

Jason Osborne, El Paso