I am neither a political liberal, a Christian, nor a Marxist. And yes, I am suggesting that the treatment you wish for these people is a gratuitous cruelty that serves no purpose except to assuage your anger and resentment. I understand those feelings and think they are justified, just misdirected to a group of people who are not the problem and didn’t have a hand in causing the problems. They are caught up in it through no doing of their own and if they now feel vulnerable and under siege and some of them are acting out in ways that offend you, it is also not material. Accommodating them would not in any way contribute to the collapse of America. In this case, acting like a human I don’t think would in any way contribute to your death. These people are not at the core of the problem but have unfortunately become a focus of your rage and even if you had your way with them it would not serve at all to alleviate in the slightest the real problems but would, as Fred says, stir-up a bunch more problems.

I was making no attempt to appeal to your humanity but just making a simple statement which would correctly be seen as asserting a judgement. If that seems self-righteous to you and you consider it negating then so be it, but then no discussion is possible. In relations between humans, decency, even as it is commonly understood at an intuitive level, should count for something. Yes, we are animals too, as you proclaim, but if that is all we are then what is the point of anything and our discussions here, and nothing else either, matter. The fact that we are arguing over values and principles means that we both tacitly accept that being human is relevant. As such, to me the matter we are discussing cries out, if anything ever could, for human understanding.

The people making some of these comments are missing the central aspect of Fred’s piece. He is talking about the unfair and inhuman nature of forcefully sending these people to Mexico given the circumstances that put them and have them in the United States. Deport people who grew up in America inside the English language and American culture; went to school here, now work here and pay taxes, and have all their social connections and network here. Deport them, to do what–wander the streets in places where they are not wanted, the culture is foreign to them and where many of them don’t even speak the language, to beg for handouts.

People who coldly advocate for that scenario are missing an essence in their makeup that is part of what defines the human species as having a moral worth as opposed to dogs or pigs or any other animal. Capacity for kindness, compassion, mercy might define that essence that is considered part of being human. Ability to be informed and influenced by an understanding of circumstances is another trait humans are thought to have.