There are frustrating things about living in a politically heterogeneous country. There are policies I would dearly like to see implemented that I know are opposed by many, perhaps a majority of Americans. I'd love to see free higher education for all, universal healthcare. I'll even admit that I'd be happy to see a repeal of the second amendment. There are many things I'd do to sway opinion, or ways I'd politically maneuver, or even leverage technicalities in our system, to change this country in ways that I believe it could be better.
So I get that people have deeply held beliefs that are opposed to mine, and I understand when they are motivated by those beliefs to employ a variety of strategies that will achieve their goals. That's democracy. But there's a line.
You may think we have borders that are too porous, or that our culture is being diluted by other cultures, or that our economy can't sustain the influx of refugees, or that those refugees include dangerous criminals, or a million other things. You might vote or lobby to enact policies that make immigration to the United States difficult or impossible. You might exploit irregularities in our legal and political systems. But will you tear families apart to get what you want? Will you traumatize children for life? Will you expose babies and toddlers to the threats of excessive heat, disease, abuse, disappearance? Because you want to feel safer?
And how safe do you need to feel, and how many children will you sacrifice to feel that way?
