Lee Spitzer to AG Jeff Sessions

[Haruo]

Letter from General Secretary Lee Spitzer to Attorney General Sessions:

[Jim]

Letter from General Secretary Lee Spitzer to Attorney General Sessions:

Spitzer has wandered off the reservation with this inane letter. Apparently, he is ignorant of the factors involved in attempting to handle illegal immigrants and their families. Any guilt associated with this matter belongs to adult immigrants who have exposed their children to inevitably being separated from their parents since the U.S. doesn't provide apartments or hotel rooms for people who come in uninvited although some effort has been made to renovate military barracks to house families until their status can be determined. The old “refugee” claim is worthless. Added to this is the fact that many immigrant parents seemingly do not want to be joined with their children, preferring to just leave them here knowing full well that their prospects in their own country range from bleak to hopeless, especially in light of the great “train-lift” a few years back, when parents placed their children atop rail grain-cars for the long, slow trip across Mexico, exposing them to everything from the weather to rapists. Obama parceled them out to various towns/cities all over the country, where they could neither speak the language nor otherwise understand but one thing, the fact that they would be fed and housed and perhaps initiate a family connection thing in order to bring their relatives along, in time. One wonders how many such immigrants, adults and children, Spitzer has welcomed into his own home.

[Haruo]

The old “refugee” claim is worthless. [Parents prefer to leave their children here rather than be reunited with them...] knowing full well that their prospects in their own country range from bleak to hopeless, especially in light of the great “train-lift” a few years back, when parents placed their children atop rail grain-cars for the long, slow trip across Mexico, exposing them to everything from the weather to rapists.

I am curious as to what you mean by the first sentence cited.

Your apparent lack of empathy, let alone any response I can associate with Jesus, with parents and children in the plight you describe is noted, and it deeply saddens me, at least as much for you, who must be one hurting unit, as for them, whose situation and fate after all don't turn on your reaction to them. You are in my prayers.

[Jim]

H: Your apparent lack of empathy, let alone any response I can associate with Jesus, with parents and children in the plight you describe is noted, and it deeply saddens me, at least as much for you, who must be one hurting unit, as for them, whose situation and fate after all don't turn on your reaction to them.

I haven't the remotest idea what that rambling collection of words means, but I regret that I've caused you deep sadness and hope you will soon regain the joy of your salvation. I trust that you have rightly observed Matt. 7:3-5 and cast the two-by-four from your own eye before accusing me of having a splinter in mine. Your apparent spiritual superiority reminds me of Christ's notion (an association with Jesus) about those he claimed were whited sepulchers, but I suspect you wouldn't fit that description since surely you are now housing and taking great care of at least one Costa Rican or Mexican family in your own home. Perhaps you will tell about them soon.

H: You are in my prayers.

I would appreciate knowing what exactly you have in mind in asking God to apply it to me. I love chocolate ice cream but offer it only as a suggestion. Vanilla would also do. If it's just plain goodness, I'm afraid you would be wasting your time since I'm too far gone for even a heavenly-wrought one-eighty...a hopeless deplorable, as Hillary might have it.

[Tim Bonney]

Having worked closely with an ABC/USA mission in Mexico, American Baptists know a lot about refugees, resettlement, etc. Dr. Spitzer knows what he is talking about. One of the blessings the ABC has is being so ethnically diverse. The denomination has many Latino members and has a region that encompasses Puerto Rico.

I appreciate Dr. Spitzer's letter!