Hole in the Wall
Last month, around 10,000 people per day crossed the southern border into the United States, most of them illegally. We’re going to hear a lot about the migrant crisis during this election year. Heart-rending stories of refugees. Exploitive “Coyotes.” Bankrupt border towns. Outmanned Border Patrol agents. For perspective, I turned to a friend of mine, Ken Kemp, for an eyewitness account of one temporary settlement near San Diego. As politicians debate the issues, we dare not forget the human factor, and the good people who step up when government fails. The following is an edited portion of Ken’s blog post.
Last Sunday, a few of us drove from suburban Los Angeles into the desert along the Wall, an array of thirty-foot-tall rusting steel pillars crowned with coils of barbed wire. There, we found a makeshift camp of some 300 exhausted sojourners guarded by a small contingent of uniformed officials.
A beloved friend, Rev. Dr. Michael Lodahl, had sounded the alarm. These migrants, possessed by the dream of a better life in America, had ended up on the parched hills of southern California with no shelter, no water, no sanitary facilities, and no food. This time of year, the nights get cold, and few had adequate clothing. “Can you possibly help us?” Michael asked.
After a long career as a pastor and professor of religion, Michael had accepted an assignment from the United Methodist Church: to serve as an interim pastor in a small church on the border with Mexico. He now has a close-up view of the migrant crisis and how some churches are responding.
A recent PBS news broadcast featured the town where Michael works. In this remote place, far from any official border crossings, there remains an unfinished portion of the formidable wall. The gap, several miles long, gives the opportunity for unhindered crossings, beyond the reach of most authorities. Travel agents as far away as China arrange trips to this off-the-map portal. Then “Coyotes,” the traffickers who prey on migrants, offer transport to the gap in the wall—for a fee. Some travelers give their life savings to a driver who will convey them along a dusty, forsaken road to that opening.
The U.S. Border Patrol, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, cannot deal with the refugees’ needs. And Michael’s sleepy little town (population, 600), like many other border towns, can hardly cope. Hence the call for help.
Our group met Pastor Michael at a supply center, where we found provisions of donated clothing, water, and a man cooking a huge kettle of rice and beans over a natural gas flame. We packed our car with as much as it would carry and made our way to the encampment.
We were not the first Americans to offer aid. Another group had purchased and set up camping tents. We soon met Karen, a retired social worker who was volunteering her time. She told us of finding two unaccompanied minors—shivering, terrified—whom she took into her car and fed. She also described some of the health issues she saw: scabies, parasites, necrotic tissue, broken bones, seizures, scorpion bites.
“It’s not my responsibility,” she said, acknowledging what we all knew. “It’s a complicated mess. I didn’t create this crisis and I can’t fix it.” There is no infrastructure dealing with the open camps in the desert. It’s up to the local towns to help out. They show up with fresh water, warm clothes, caps, gloves, and a sincere word of encouragement. And hugs.
Karen listens to the migrants’ stories, and she invited us to do the same. We learned that they came not only from Central and South America but also Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, and even China. Every one of them had a story of tragedy: lost homes, lost family members, lost businesses, lost hope. The only hope left was America. Employment. Safety. A new start.
We did not find, out there on our side of the wall, terrorists or drug dealers carting in loads of fentanyl with the intent to kill off America’s young. We didn’t find communists or thieves or rapists. We met ordinary human beings from distant lands who had sacrificed everything for an impossible journey, driven by an instinct for survival and the promise of a better life in the Promised Land—America.
I’ve read When Helping Hurts, a book about how charity can do more harm than good. I’m quite aware that we do-gooders cannot fix this horrific problem. I returned from my visit to The Wall to my climate-controlled smart-home where Alexa waits at the ready to turn my lights on at 4:30 in the afternoon and off at 10 p.m. The refrigerator is stocked, and the big-screen television brings the world into my living room. Two cars in the garage stand ready to take me anywhere I want to go.
That said, I cannot get Mary’s Magnificat out of my mind. Over Christmas a spiritual director led a group of us on a study of that song. From her longing heart, Mary imagines what her son might become. She anticipates that he will “lift up the humble” and “fill the hungry with good things.”
I watch Karen the social worker embrace the displaced children. I listen to Pastor Michael challenge his people to care. I consider what Mary’s son had to say about both the proud and the humble. The proud will be taken down, and the humble lifted up.
I let it all shape my thoughts, and inform my prayers.
I let it change me.
© 2023 Ken Kemp
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39 responses to “Hole in the Wall”
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About Philip Yancey
For Yancey, reading offered a window to a different world. So, he devoured books that opened his mind, challenged his upbringing, and went against what he had been taught. A sense of betrayal engulfed him.
Oh…America – the Promised Land. A huge myth. I guess these poor people are running away from terrible things but what will they find in America? Minimum wage jobs? The world is in terrible state.
For those who want to help:
https://welcome.us/become-a-sponsor/sponsor- Ukrainians
https://welcome.us/become-a-sponsor-families-through-p4chnv
Leads me to pray:
Father God, We are desperate for You in our lives. Please forgive our selfishness, our injustices, and our lack of faith. For too long, we have ignored You and put our own interests above the needs of others. Pour out your grace in our lives so we overflow with your goodness, kindness, peace, and joy. Let everything we do, be done in love. Help us to comfort the grieving, strengthen the weak, speak truth to the deceived, and in everything bring You honor and glory. Let Your name be lifted high as we turn to You and shine light in the darkness.
If someone shows up in my backyard, hungry, afraid, unsure of what to do, like Pastor Michael, I hope I’d offer some food, a warm blanket, and a hearing heart who can listen to his or her story, a story that no doubt includes unspoken fears fringed with unbelievable hope. This issue of immigration is not an easy one to tackle, Philip, and I struggle just to provide for my own family much less any “stranger” or migrant who makes his way to my hometown in Northern Colorado.
It saddens me to realize how polarizing this issue has become, with the line apparently drawn between those who have and the decision to help the have-not’s. Personally, I believe Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, but exactly how that neighbor looks from across a barbed-wire fence isn’t an image that is as clearly defined as I’d like it to be. That America is seen as the Promise Land is something none of us can probably imagine, but I pray that those lucky enough to survive the trek across deserts and political cross-fire will be given the opportunity to legally become citizens here. In the meantime, all I can do is love, to see myself in their shoes, and to hope that others will reach out to me the way Jesus did to so many who were searching for so much more than a place to live.
To Mark Bodnarczuk – Thank you for sharing the heartbreaking story of your beautiful son Thomas. I share your grief. While some have exploited the tragedy of the fentanyl crisis to advance a political agenda, the national disaster is real. No one knows that as well as you. As a loving father, you have paid a horrible price and suffered an unthinkable loss – your closing line is powerful – “It’s only through God’s grace and a commitment to face my grief fearlessly that I survived the death of my son and have found new life on my journey forward.” 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Dr. Olsson brought up relevant and thought provoking questions. It does put responsibility back on the migrants to at least answer instead of being perceived as totally powerless. They did make a decision. Maybe justifiable. Perhaps not. But a decision nevertheless.
One more:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/undocumented-immigrants-are-half-as-likely-to-be-arrested-for-violent-crimes-as-u-s-born-citizens/
jjk
In response to your friend’s data, Mr. Yancey:
https://www.cato.org/blog/new-research-illegal-immigration-crime-0
In Him,
jjk
I agree with the first physician’s post. To amplify it, another part of this issue is that the uncontrolled influx of migrants so overwhelms the Border Patrol, that the two main Mexican cartels who are shipping fentanyl over the boarder can cross in other places, undetected.
Another important point is that while many people are “overdosing” on fentanyl (taking too much), thousands of other unsuspecting victims are being poisoned by purchasing what’s sold as a prescription medication on Snap Chat for $15 (i.e., Xanax, Percocet, Adderall, etc.), when these are actually counterfeit pills that contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
I learned about this dark crime the hard way…
My 18-year-old son, Thomas, came home from work at about 9:10 PM on May 1, 2021. My wife, Elin, and I, chatted with him for a few minutes, then he went to his room. That was the last time we saw our son alive. He took what was sold on Snap Chat as a single Xanax pill, and that one pill killed him. I found his could lifeless body in his bedroom when I went to wake him the next morning for our on-line church service.
The link below describes how few consequences there were for the guy who killed my son.
https://victims.druginducedhomicide.org/victims-list/thomas-larson-bodnarczuk/
It’s only through God’s grace and a commitment to face my grief fearlessly that I survived the death of my son and have found new life on my journey forward.
Thank you for sharing both sides. Our church helps a NM group gather up “Dignity Bags”–a large Ziplock bag filled with toiletries and a washcloth plus a note of compassion in Spanish for those in El Paso. IT is such a mess at the border, yet these are real people with real needs. Truckloads of Dignity Bags are a small compassion but at least those that get them are gifted with the knowledge someone cares.
Handmade cloth bags with a few toys, crayons, booklets and toiletries have also been sent to children in particular. We cannot FIX the problem, but we can be compassionate.
Philip – These comments confirm my hopes – that the telling of this story would touch hearts and maybe get people thinking differently. I’ve gotta say – these comments warm my heart, especially those who took note of Mary’s prayer. Then those commenters who express plans to engage, like Jesus, well that means a lot. My my.
I’ll also join those who thank you for putting the story of these brave, weary pilgrims on your blog.
Beautiful.
Your friend, Ken
A friend of mine sent a detailed response giving another side of the migrant issue. He makes the following points:
Just a few months ago, we had a speaker from the DEA give a conference to the physicians in our area of Virginia. Normally, fellow physicians give conference talks to physicians, so what could someone from the drug enforcement agency tell us? As it turns out, quite a lot. Among many other things he pointed out to us was how Fentanyl makes it to U.S. streets. The vast majority is manufactured in China, then travels to South and Central America, and comes into the United States via its border with Mexico as counterfeit medicines, some of which “asylum seekers” will bring in. The number of Fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S. has skyrocketed in the last few years, partly due to Covid-19 boredom/need for money and party due to illegal immigrants being such a cheap means of transporting it to the U.S. Thanks in part to the Biden Administration’s open arms policy to the illegals, this, too, is part of what Ken Kemp is helping to foment.
(Look at the map on page 2 of this DEA website: https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf )
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As for crime, the Biden Administration has naturally not been forthcoming with any revelations about illegal immigrant crime. But as one of the border states affected by illegal immigration, Texas hasn’t been shy. They have a state website with some revealing data. https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/crime-records/texas-criminal-illegal-alien-data .
Among other items, note the following: “According to DHS status indicators, over 422,000 criminal aliens have been booked into local Texas jails between June 1, 2011, and December 31, 2023, of which over 297,000 were classified as illegal aliens by DHS.
Between June 1, 2011, and December 31, 2023, these 297,000 illegal aliens were charged with more than 509,000 criminal offenses which included arrests for 940 homicide charges; 64,127 assault charges; 9,246 burglary charges; 59,936 drug charges; 1128 kidnapping charges; 25,441 theft charges; 39,694 obstructing police charges; 2,912 robbery charges; 6,422 sexual assault charges; 7,410 sexual offense charges; and 6,193 weapon charges. DPS criminal history records reflect those criminal charges have thus far resulted in over 186,000 convictions including 463 homicide convictions; 23,327 assault convictions; 4,641 burglary convictions; 25,014 drug convictions; 322 kidnapping convictions; 9,628 theft convictions; 15,645 obstructing police convictions; 1,624 robbery convictions; 3,038 sexual assault convictions; 3,397 sexual offense convictions; and 2,022 weapon convictions.”
None of the above includes any discussion about the tremendous amount of welfare that illegal immigrants receive (including those who sneak across, have a baby – an automatic American citizen – and receive benefits through their child: a VERY common occurrence), which includes “Emergency Medicaid,” a U.S. taxpayer funded program that provides medical coverage to uninsured individuals who do not qualify for normal Medicaid due to citizenship/immigration status. Here’s what the Texas Attorney General posted about costs, just in the state of Texas:
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-illegal-immigration-costs-texas-taxpayers-over-850-million-each-year
❤️ sometimes living in ” a solution” isn’t the answer – Love and simple helpfulness is. Jesus will supply the real Answer.
I know the feeling of having not 1 not but 4 extra bedrooms and not an immigrant around where I live in the UP, and I don’t know how I can help bring so far away.
Thank you for this important perspective. Truths need to be shared. As always, the bad news, the bad guys are exaggerated and sensationalized and thus truth is twisted in our country.
Letting what breaks the heart of Jesus break mine. How best can we help after prayer?
Okay, I’m in.
So what is the solution? The influx is disproportionately affecting border towns, and not the whole US. New York and Chicago are less welcoming while getting a tiny percent compared to TX/AZ!
All of us know many whose families have been touched by the Opioid crisis and lost loved ones.
Most of it comes from cartels in Mexico.
My hunch is that the few who are mules and terrorists would not avail themselves of your kindness.
Few, but some….
Please, I humbly ask for steps in the right direction.
This is simply not sustainable. How do we offer answers and Christ’s heart at the same time?
Thank you for sharing this side of the story
Had anyone asked the illegal migrants why they had not applied for legal immigrant status rather than pushing to the head of the line? Why they did not stay and fight against oppression in their home countries? and , how do they explain to themselves and their children why they start their life in America by disobeying the law at their very first entry? The shadowy family secret of an illegal immigrant family often gets transmitted over several generations unless or until the truth is faced and resolved. It is alarming to consider how seldom the illegal immigrant’s parenting as it effects their children’s identity formation is seriously discussed. Even highly successful children of illegal immigrants can understandably have normal pangs of conscience about the illegal behavior of their parents/themselves. Paradoxically, the more personal integrity the child has, the more they will be haunted and hampered psychologically. The psychologically most healthy transform their guilt and shame into effective community service, often in the military or health care fields.
“Truth heals the pain which it evokes”
Goethe
Great perspective from a trusted source, Philip Yancey! Both heartbreaking and encouraging.
“And I live on and on..”
I know there are stories in my state’s border like this one. I agree that most likely 90% of those crossing the border have nothing to do with drugs, violence, or, trafficking. They are, as you described, folks with hard stories, looking for a safe place to make a new start.
Thank you for shedding the light in this post. You’ve opened my heart and so from this comfortable desk chair in my home I will surely pray and seek ways to bring hope to those who have made the long trip to this side of the barbed wire.
Very thought provoking, i really had no idea there was a so called *open door” into America. Such sad stories.
I live in a South Coast town in UK and feel concerned for the young men trapped in hotels waiting for a breakthrough. Some churches are actively involved in helping.
Philip – Thank you for sharing this perspective from Ken. The incoming illegal immigrants trigger a defensive mode in many Americans. Some even cite their “right to self-defense” from Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the Constitution. Thank you for the reminder that the way of Jesus usually goes counter to our natural inclinations. Although the “hole in the wall” may be wide, the path to show love to the immigrants in need is truly a narrow gate.
Thank you, a million times over. We can choose to love and care, not hate and believe lies about suffering people.
Thank you so much for posting this and the other articles. So timely and needed. Prayed last week to help and God brought connection here in Arvada, CO to take food directly the I-70 and Pecos hotel area one place where buses have dropped over 38,000 people to Denver from the border. Also found an online group called Women of Welcome. I am more of a helper than initiator, tired of silence from the suburban community. Hopeful.
Thank you for this. I live far away from the border, but my heart aches at the thought of the people and the way others in power are using them to shape the response of the citizens of this country. I think of the politicians that are using human beings to stay in power by putting fellow human beings on busses and shipping them off to places unknown to them, I think of how the church has turned into a place that seems much more bent toward power and less and less like an example of Jesus. My heart breaks, but I feel helpless.
Good stuff. Thanks for posting. I worked all along Texas’ southern border for almost 15 years, and I appreciate this compassionate and insightful account of the situation.
Thank you Philip for taking the time and courage to write this blog and send out to a diverse group of readers.
I have read it once (so far) and praying for it change me and watch with compassion and action.
Good perspective of treating these immigrants as you would if you truly believed they were made in the image of God. May pastor Michael and his team be blessed as they continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus and may others who identify as followers of Jesus model such Gospel work. And let it change me
Thank you, Philip. I have been seeking a way to help migrants. I felt Father used you to give me an answer.
There’s always two sides to the story and it is good to hear the other side. God calls us to “love our neighbors as yourself” and with that says there is no greater commandment. Even though feeding and helping these sojourners is a hand out and not a hand up I believe God is honing a thumbs up!
Thank you, Philip. We need to see this. Heart breaking. I appreciate Ken’s descriptions and quote from Mary and Jesus. Lord, open our eyes and our hearts.
Thank you for acknowledging that it’s complex – yet still has to be addressed. With compassion. And love.
Thank you.
Very insightful, especially re the Magnificat! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you for giving us this glimpse into the story that does not get told otherwise.
My heart breaks for these people. I work in NJ with ESL students. We don’t know who is illegal and who is not. Currently our church is trying to sponsor a Haitian family of four and all the paperwork is done. They await a call to come while they live amid horrific circumstances….almost five months now of daily waiting. This makes me understand why many choose to leave illegally. It is hard to wait when each day is life threatening for many of these people. Thank you for writing this blog.
Thnk you for sharing.