America was built by immigrants. Today, it shuts them out. “We will find you. We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you,” says Corey Lewandowski, chief adviser to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

Competing voices constantly tell the story of immigration in the United States. Statistics reduce immigrants to a set of numbers. Politicians turn them into talking points. Yet, for millions of immigrants, the struggle and difficulty of seeking asylum or moving to the U.S. is not a debate, but a lived reality, a choice made out of necessity and hope.

The United States has always claimed to be a nation of immigrants, built by people who arrived from different parts of the world, carrying only hope and determination. From the earliest waves of European settlers to the millions of people who arrived at Ellis Island and others who now seek asylum through the border, immigration has always been a central part of the American story. Today, it is the backbone of much of our workforce, culture, and communities. But too often, that history has become ignored. Instead of being celebrated as the foundation of our country, immigrants are treated with suspicion and hostility from even the highest government offices.

Are we really Christians?

The current Administration speaks in absolutes: about “aliens,” “security threats,” and “invasion.” These phrases dehumanize the real people who are on the other side of the situation and strip away their individuality.

Immigration is not just a political issue; it is a human one. And if we forget that, we risk losing the very soul of the nation we claim to protect.

The immigration process is anything but easy. We need to change this and make it less painful.

For every person running for federal office, including candidates for President, it should be mandatory that they take the same test immigrants must take to become citizens. Most, if not all, would fail! I know, because I barely passed on a sample test.