Tag: Reagan

Donald Trump Should Learn Important Immigration Lessons from Ronald Reagan

Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan have various experiences in common (both were Republicans, both served as president, etc.). Today I would like to concentrate on their similar challenges regarding undocumented immigrants. During the Reagan administration in the 1980s, there were civil wars going on in Central America, especially Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. To save their lives and the lives of their children, many Central Americans migrated north and crossed into the United States without the appropriate documents. It is estimated there were about 5 million undocumented immigrants in the nation at that time. President Reagan knew some essential information that helped to shape his decisions.

  • The overwhelming majority of undocumented immigrants had found employment in agriculture, construction, restaurants, etc. and were making significant contributions to the US economy.
  • These immigrants were paying taxes: sales taxes, property taxes, and even taxes to the IRS without much hope of receiving the benefits (Social Security, Medicare) that citizens receive.
  • The crime rate among these immigrants was much lower than the average crime rate of US born citizens. (Entering the United States without documents is appropriately classified not as a violent crime or felony, but rather as a misdemeanor.)
  • Most of these immigrants were putting down roots in the culture, by participating in religious congregations, by their children actively involved in primary and secondary education, Little League, etc. Nevertheless, many lived in fear of being arrested.
  • Just like immigrants in previous times (the Irish, the Italians, Puerto Ricans, and many others) these Central Americans were scapegoated and incorrectly blamed for society’s ills.

Although Reagan had his share of human flaws, at times he demonstrated true leadership and a compassionate heart. Together with a Democrat controlled Congress, Reagan pushed legislation that became the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. The immigrants had to meet certain requirements: they had to pay a penalty and back taxes, they had to have lived in the United States for at least five years, etc. Far from conducting “raids” on job sites where the undocumented worked, the Reagan administration encouraged them to continue working in their “illegal” jobs. Knowing that the immigrants would naturally be fearful of interacting with government authorities, Reagan urged congregations and groups like World Relief to become the intermediaries that would offer legal advice, English classes, and other services. (My church, the Evangelical Free Church of Des Plaines, Illinois, participated in this project). The program was compassionate. For example, if immigrants had not lived in the country for a full five years, they were advised to “lay low”, keep on working and improving their English until they met the five-year requirement.

President Reagan signed the bill in a ceremony at the Statue of Liberty where he affirmed, “The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans.”

The Act was an overwhelming success! The majority of the immigrants came out of the shadows, regularized their legal status, continued in their jobs, and most importantly, kept their families intact. Immigrants becoming active participants in our society is truly “the American way”.

The immigration situation today is quite similar to the challenges that President Reagan faced. The bullet point information at the beginning of this post accurately describes the ten million undocumented immigrants in our midst. During the past week, Trump admitted that our economy desperately needs the labor provided by these immigrants on farms and factories, hotels and restaurants, and in construction. Nevertheless, President Trump has seemed bewildered. He said raids on immigrants are on again, then off again, then on again. Mr. President, on this issue, learn from the example of Ronald Reagan. Do the right thing and work with Congress to pass a bill similar to Reagan’s 1986 Immigration Act.

A Lesson from the Epiphany: Don’t Believe Leaders who Lie!

On January 6 many Christians celebrated the Epiphany by celebrating when the Wise Men from the East came to worship baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Nevertheless, before they reached Bethlehem, they visited King Herod in Jerusalem and asked him if he knew where to find the newborn Messiah. Herod was worried because a rival to his own kingly rule had appeared on the scene. After consulting with religious priests and teachers, Herod found out that Jesus was to be born in the town of Bethlehem. Herod gave the Wise Men this information, and then added, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-12).

Herod lied. He had no intention of worshipping Jesus. He was using the Wise Men’s naivete to find out Jesus’ exact location in order to kill him. But God spoke to the Wise Men and told them to return their countries by a different way. This they did. When Herod discovered their “disobedience”, he became furious and ordered the massacre of all the little boys in Bethlehem. God told Mary and Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt to find refuge.

There are many interesting lessons to learn from this story, but I would like to concentrate on one. King Herod lied. And he used a religious motivation to cover his lie. Sadly, Jesus, when he was a grown man, taught that kings and other rulers all too frequently lie. They lord it over their subjects yet claim to be doing good (Luke 22:24-25).  What is the lesson to be learned? We should not be gullible. We should not be naïve. We should not believe lying leaders…even when they cloak their lies in religiosity.

There are some leaders who are women and men of integrity who generally tell the truth. Nevertheless, we should use great caution and discernment when we hear politicians. Many leaders in every major country frequently lie. Many Democrat leaders and many Republican leaders frequently lie. Lying is not the exclusive domain of our political enemies.

Former President Reagan borrowed the Russian proverb “trust, but verify” and popularized the phrase in the English language. This is what I urge us all to do. Don’t naively believe everything you hear, especially in an election year. To the degree that is possible, question, fact check, and verify the affirmations of all politicians.

I eagerly watched the Republican presidential debate last night. Three candidates had qualified for the debate (Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump), but Trump chose not to participate. It was a lively debate with some substance and some smoke. DeSantis said, “Don’t trust Haley. She is lying.” Haley mentioned a dozen times the website DeSantisLies.com which points out the multiple lies of DeSantis and refutes them with evidence. Here are Republican leaders who tell us not to believe the words and promises of their rivals. They also accused Trump of lying, not just the “little” lies of the value of his properties, the unwanted fondling of women, or the immunity of presidents for all their actions while in office, etc., but the “Big Lie” of the 2020 election being stolen. Haley affirmed, “Biden won, Trump lost. It’s time to move forward.”

Leaders are not usually as good as they claim to be. Their lies must be unmasked. They point to the need for those who will double-check the facts and ask the tough questions. Let us be discerning as we seek the truth that can set us free.