Letter: Migrants are not the enemy

Tim Steller is on point and I see these families as a "refugee" caravan. I think about all of the oppressed who were fleeing Germany and Europe before the start of World War II. Those refugees were the early signs that something was wrong there. For the most part only two nations, the Dominican Republic and Bolivia, were willing to accept what we know today were legitimate refugees. As nations turned their backs, millions of lives were lost.

Most of those fortunate to emigrate became model citizens in their new home nations. The people fleeing from Central America are doing so for a reason. Instead of viewing them as a threat or the "enemy" we should be trying to understand their plight and looking for ways as a nation to help stop their suffering. We've lost our empathy, we can't imagine how desperate these poor people are to live free, free from the threat of violence and we have no tolerance for them or each other for that matter.

Richard Harper

Northeast side

Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.