“Papers, please!”

“Papers, please!”

Many years ago, my parents lived in a small hamlet in the San Joaquin Valley.  Their neighbors were fieldworkers.  She told my mom this story: They were driving through the countryside on the way to work and were stopped by Immigration.  “Show us your greencards!”  “We don’t have greencards,” they said, “We are citizens.”  “Then show us your proof!”  When she told my mother about it later, the neighbor was still upset.  Their “proofs” were the certificates they received at their naturalization ceremony.  They were proud of their citizenship – the certificates were framed on their wall at home.   Eventually, Immigration did let them go. 

I don’t want to live in a “papers, please” society.  I don’t want my friends to live in a society where I am waived on because I have light skin, and they are stopped because they don’t.  I don’t want my fieldworker neighbors to live in a “papers or else” society.  I want everyone – citizen, visitor, immigrant and refugee – to be treated as beloved children of God – as they are. 

I proudly support HIAS.org - an organization that aids refugees and displaced people around the world - with a portion of every sale.