The POTUS is literally declaring a war against an unarmed caravan of migrants from Honduras. The ‘caravan” is comprised of people, women, men and children, who have no choice but to leave their homeland or lose their lives. The causes for the migration are many, escaping domestic violence, dodging a gang out to murder you, or looking for employment to provide a future for your family.
The President describes these people as an “onslaught”, yet they are not attacking anyone. The President is preparing to attack them via his ordering deployment of 5,200 active duty troops to occupy the U.S.-Mexico border. Whether these people are being used as a pawn issue in view of the upcoming election or not, is certainly not the point. Additionally, they are being demeaned and described as invading and occupying, and the president is sending out the calvary to stop them in their tracks, a declaration of war.
Does anything justify such a response? Is the potential for violence actually brought on by the defensive and defamatory position taken, which accuses the migrants of ill-intent and harm to all in their journey pathway? Is violence ever justified? This is sheer war-mongering, and we Americans should not advocate such aggression toward these migrants.
There was another impactful journey recorded in the Gospels. Jesus of Nazareth and his followers entered Jerusalem totally nonviolently. They also came because they had been driven into poverty by the Roman Empire’s occupation of their land. Jesus had compassion on those who were marginalized and alienated. Those rejected in society were despised, but Jesus came to bring liberation not just from sins but rather from the whole dominating system and from the ideas upon which it was founded, then and now!
Innocent people throughout history were treated violently, our own President is in effect declaring war and possible violence against innocent migrant people. As Christians, we are morally obligated to call out the self-proclaimed reaction of our President against these innocent migrants. Will we allow the perpetuation of violence to be the continued historical answer toward those who we choose to control and oppress? These migrants do not represent an assault on our country, they represent an assault on our conscience!
Make no moral mistake, truth be told, the real essence of these migrants is being totally distorted and confabulated prior to an upcoming election. They do not qualify for asylum, but they do deserve a hearing.
Truth Be Told 
I think Trump sees deploying troops along the Mexican border as a projection of strength, but as the connection with Exodus shows, it’s really a projection of fear. That’s why the numbers keep jumping: from 800 to 5,200 to 15,000. Projecting fear generates more fear. The danger is that as those numbers grow, so do the chances that those soldiers will do what they’re trained to do: kill somebody.
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I like that you draw attention to the fact that we often jump from one extreme to the other, without much thought, or backup really. You beautifully point out that allowing the voices of these people to be heard, is not the same as automatic asylum; however, not letting them speak is an injustice of the highest degree. Let’s hope that that is heard loud and clear come election day.
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The analogy you make to the journey of Jesus and his disciples toward Jerusalem is inspired. In that case as with the migrant caravan, the ruler in question overreacts and cynically attempts to manipulate the situation for his own political advantage. But ironically, both Pilate and Trump are revealed by their own actions to be fearful, dishonest men and thus their rule is discredited; so in that sense, the travelers really do pose a threat!
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I appreciate how you bring these facts together; tying in “45’s” assault on innocent people and the assault on Jesus and his followers. I chose the word assault because it fits the bill, here. The physical” attack on the innocent; Jesus or the migrants, will leave the same welts. I do believe that by those stripes, a healing WILL come about!
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Thank you for reminding us that there is nothing goof in making war. In fact, war will always generate war, and violence will for sure create more violence. Your post reminded me about hundred thousand of people who fleeing the Kasai region in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the neighboring countries to seek refuge. Abundant life that Jesus Christ talked about in John 10:10b is what those Mexicans are seeking I believe. So, forcing them to return is certainly not the good thing.
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I was struck by your comparison of the migrant caravan with Jesus’ caravan into Jerusalem. I wonder if you could explain a little bit more about what you call an “assault on our conscience?” Are you referring to the caravan directly or to the rhetoric that has emerged in response to the caravan? The choice of violent language here is interesting to me because it frames the caravan as the perpetrators rather than receivers of violence, if I am reading your words correctly.
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