Immigrants In A Hurricane

I am writing this from Houston, Texas as the third military helicopter passes overhead taking supplies into the city. It is the day after Labor Day and our president has seen fit to cancel DACA. (An order that prevents the deportation of 800,000 young people who were illegally brought to this country)

Thomas Jefferson wrote: The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Unfortunately that may be true but I also believe it must be refreshed by the sweat and spirit of immigrates.

Here are my observations of immigrants during a disaster:

The Day Before: Before the storm hit my wife’s 92 year old stubborn as a mule grandmother refused to leave her house. (We all have someone stubborn in our lives) She had a tree that was dead in her back yard that was going to fall on her house at the first gust of wind so my wife called a reputable landscaper to remove the tree before the storm. His quote was $800 and he would be there that day.

He never showed up or called.

Day One: The rain began and the husband of a Hispanic maid and his friend came the next day and cut down the tree in the rain and asked for no money. (We paid him of course and she survived the flood with her house in tact) Sweet Tea anyone?

Day Two: There was a run on gas so we're running on empty. Thank God for the Shell station that was open and it was the only station that still had gas in our area. Ali behind the register was hard at work. I gladly paid for the gas and it really didn’t matter what his religion was or that he had darker skin. It mattered that he showed up for work.

Day Three: The Cajun Navy to the rescues. We had somewhere around 135,000 homes flooded and as great as the first responders and the the National Guard were, more people were saved by their neighbors and Cajuns with bass boats. No one checked passports or ask for papers of any kind. There were no black, white or brown neighborhoods just flooded ones.

Day Four: By day four the Houston convention center had been transformed into a 10,000-person shelter with food, water, clothing and housing. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Police Chief Art Acevedo orchestrated this transformation. A great job done by civil servants who preside over one of the most diverse populations in the United States. Despite his actual stature Mayor Turner has been a giant.

Day Five: When the storm was in it’s 5th day we were running out of food and the only grocery store open was the “Michoacana Meat Market”. Not a natural born citizen in the place but they were polite, packed and a life saver. The entire staff braved the rain and the second hit from the storm to do their jobs and help their neighbors.

Day Six: My house and family were safe and sound so I was off to collect an 83 year old family friend from her house on the other side of a newly created lake. It took two and a half hours to get there and back with all the traffic and road closures. She lost her husband last year and now she lost almost everything else. Guess what? She forget to get insurance after her house was paid off so she is in line at FEMA.

As far as the children of illegal immigrants, they may not have the papers that say they are an American citizen but these kids have no other country to call home. So sending them back to their homes is a foreign concept because to them they are home. I have been reminded first hand that AMERICA IS GREAT and everyone who lives and loves here are the reasons why. God bless we the people and all who wish to join us.