I read the story of the MS St. Louis this past week. Refugees, fleeing Hitler. About 900 of them. Cuba rejected them first, then the U.S. was among those countries that said no. And, why did we say no to this boatload of Jews? My reading indicates part of it might have been due to a fear of how many would follow.
We could hardly take in all the Jews of Europe, and find room for them in America, was perhaps the thinking. Consider the millions who died in the Holocaust and imagine if America had tried to save them by giving them place in our country.
So, has our attitude of immigration changed in all these years? The plight of those coming from Central America is not so dire as that of the Jews. Still, we know that the countries they are coming from are some of the most dangerous on earth. But, we do not let them come, because we say we have no room.
The passengers of the St. Louis were eventually sent back to Europe. After disembarking, they were scattered to various nations. Germany then came calling during the war, temporarily taking over many of those countries, and a large number of the passengers of the St. Louis ended up victims of the Holocaust.
Even so, we say today, There are other nations where you can go. Can you not find your refuge in Mexico?
Mexico is not a safe country. We are repeating history in the way we are treating them. Our attitudes on immigration have not changed.
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