MWR : Adding to injustice

Last updated November 24.

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Aug. 23, 2010 issue

Adding to injustice

By Daniel Regier Tucson, Ariz.

I can empathize with calls for a boycott of Arizona due to the recent immigration law. Indeed, my own response was practically retributive: If Arizona devalues the rights of immigrants, then let us collectively devalue its economy. I have friends, neighbors and clients who have already been directly affected by the law, so I, too, joined those proposing a boycott of the state.

I began questioning the boycott, however, when I started hearing anti-immigration pundits proclaiming (almost gleefully) that the people most affected would be the immigrants themselves. Hotels, convention centers and restaurants hire immigrants at low wages, and these are likely the first jobs to be cut if business slackens. If this is the case, such a boycott helps no one, offers no constructive alternatives and, by all appearances, only fuels the anger on all sides.

I wonder, instead, what we as a church can do to mitigate the effects of fear, bigotry and dehumanization that surround the immigration issue. Whether we live in Arizona, visit Arizona or dare not set foot in Arizona, we can all support people whom society marginalizes. Whether eating at the local taco stand, patronizing businesses that treat their workers fairly, or supporting agencies and ministries that directly help immigrants, there is no shortage of ways to show that we intend to speak truth to power and also bring hope to the oppressed. As we oppose the injustices of our society, let’s not abandon those most hurt by such injustices.

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