Humans of Hesston: Micah Raber

by Olivia Copsey – Horizon Columnist

An idea that I am becoming increasingly more aware of is immigration. And how possible presidential movements, especially if Trump becomes president, how that could affect people who are migrating to the U.S., as well as those who are refugees.

There was a recent statement by Trump that if he became president he would send all the Syrian refugees back to where they came from, and with migrations he’s wanting to enact extremely strict laws. I wish people cared more about looking at the bigger scale of this problem. That they would see the people who are on the oppressed side, the refugees and the immigrants, as people.

People who are trying to find a place for their family to live and to prosper, compared to seeing them as someone who is trying to take jobs away from the U.S.

I wish more people would be interested, and care about people who are trying to survive in the U.S.

The system is working against those who are trying to come to the U.S. to find a job and a way to support their families.

There’s a lot of prejudice against those who are seeking a better life here.

This applies to my life because I have friends and I know people who are not documented citizens. They’re here and they’re not documented…but they’re people just like everyone else. They have fathers, mothers, and families just like everyone else. And they’ve been put in this situation where they think moving here, even if it means breaking the law, and struggling to find work…well, that’s a better situation than what they were currently experiencing.

Last year during fall break, I went to the School of America’s (S.O.A.) as well as the Berkeley Detention Center. In the Detention Center there were these people who were on suspect, kept for an indiscriminate amount of time, and deported without any announcement. Their families and friends would end up not knowing where they were. I was a part of a group of students who went and protested against this last year.

I also spoke with people from my home church in Ohio who were currently working with undocumented immigrants. They were helping them find  a place to stay and ultimately find a life here.

I kept having this realization that it’s just people who are trying to find a life and an opportunity. Trying to be in a place that would not just benefit them but benefit their family as well. A place of prosperity.

A thing that would help would be if the jobs that the U.S. outsourced would be cheaper, then the U.S. wouldn’t have an immigration problem anymore.

There would be more jobs in the U.S. and they’d have to raise working conditions. Like, you think about sweat shops and that sort of thing happening. If we brought those jobs back to the U.S. And we made the conditions in those shops better people would want those jobs. These jobs would solve a big portion of the unemployment problem and most likely get rid of the immigration problem. Or it would at least be the first step.

I’m a really intentional person and I won’t generally say or do stuff that I don’t really believe in. I want people to see, especially with the upcoming 2016 elections, that when opinions are talked about this isn’t just a subject that can be pushed aside.

Trump talks a lot about “What made America great!” I think what made America great was that it was such a melting pot of people from different backgrounds, different cultures, and people of different ethnicity. And they were what made diversity in America and essentially made America great. You have to watch what you say and take opportunities to go to things like Discussion Group (led by sophomore Caleb Shrock-Hurst) in order to stay on top of things and know what you’re talking about. Especially in regards to the Syrian refugees and immigrants. I talk about these issues at lunch and at supper with friends. I try to show that they are issues that need to be talked about. I’m thinking about taking classes that focus more on helping those who are underprivileged and maybe become a social worker, or an advisor, to underprivileged families. To communities that are poor. I want to work with this system of oppression and the people who are impacted by it.