Moral Disconnect

To the Editor:

The lack of empathy shown by many Trump supporters toward undocumented immigrants and their families, particularly in support of ICE’s harsh deportation policies, reflects a deep moral disconnect. These supporters often reduce complex human struggles to sound bites about “law and order,” ignoring the profound suffering that drives people to cross borders in desperation. Families fleeing violence, corruption, and crippling poverty do not embark on perilous journeys lightly. They come because staying behind means certain danger — death, starvation, or exploitation. Yet, instead of compassion, they are met with cages, separations, and political rhetoric that strips them of their humanity.

It is easy to shout from a place of safety and privilege about “illegality,” but far harder to imagine oneself in the shoes of those facing unimaginable choices. Before condemning a parent who risks everything to cross a border, one must pause and ask: what would you do to save your family? Would you obey the law and watch your children suffer or die, or would you fight for their survival by any means necessary? True empathy demands that we see these people not as statistics or invaders, but as human beings — mothers, fathers, and children — doing what any of us would do in their place.

Bill Balch La Grange