In the area where I live, we recently found out that the Federal Government paid over $200 million for two facilities to warehouse immigrants caught in America without papers. Many who live near these facilities are concerned about them for a number of reasons, and nobody can really blame them. My first question, however, was this – how is it that we can afford this, or a White House Ballroom, $76 billion for ICE, but we can’t figure out how to pay for housing for homeless families? How is it that we can’t figure out how to fund programs like Safe Berks, an organization that helps and houses survivors of domestic abuse? How can we not assist people struggling to pay for medicine and healthcare? We can’t house the homeless, but we can build gulags – what does that say about us?
If you don’t like my use of the word “gulag”, here is the definition: “a system of Soviet labor camps and accompanying detention and transit camps and prisons that from the 1920s to the mid-1950s housed the political prisoners and criminals of the Soviet Union. At its height, the Gulag imprisoned millions of people.” (Britannica.com) These gulags were run by Stalin’s Secret Police, at first, and then by the KGB. So, yes; these warehouses being purchased to house immigrants are gulags. And we, the taxpayers, are footing the bill. And again – to be clear – I don’t want dangerous felons wandering the streets of America, regardless of their citizenship status. I believe that our justice system should jail any person, regardless of who they are, for committing dangerous crimes. But people who are in the process of becoming citizens? Children brought here who were too young to even know where they were? We already have an industrial prison system, and this will only make it bigger.
Thanks to both parties, we have seen a reduction of homelessness among veterans of 55% since 2010; but there are over 30,000 veterans still without a home. Approximately the same number of children are in the same situation. In 2023, over 186,000 people in families were homeless at some point. And while there are some people – the rare instances – that choose to live on the streets, the overwhelming majority are searching, but unable to afford the few available places they can find. We have chosen to build gulags instead of housing for the homeless. What does that say about us?
Prayer – Holy God, You tell us that the way we treat those who are struggling in life is the way we treat You. Have mercy. Amen.
Today’s art is “Bench Birmingham Moment” by Banksy.