The Book of Daniel

Aaron entered the army after graduation. He was a good grunt and made it fairly easily through boot camp. After stationing and the beginning of training, however, things fell apart. Because of a family emergency, he received a call to return home and thereafter asked for a leave. But somehow, somewhere along the line of phone call, investigation, and leave request, the army discovered that like Daniel in Babylon, Aaron was a foreigner in a foreign land. He is "illegal."

I use the term "illegal" consciously in that way, since that is how the public and media discussion tends to run. However, Aaron isn't any more "illegal" than I am. He simply happens to be in the wrong country without permission. He may be in a country illegally, but no human being is illegal.

So, after a grilling, Aaron's leave became a dishonorable discharge and auf Wiedersehen, goodbye. I ran into Aaron last summer at the flea market. That's where I got the original story; there among the detritus, and treasures, and Spanish language. This time, Aaron visits school just to see a few friends and former teachers. He is bright, capable, willing to work hard, desperately needs and deserves a college education, and is working for a telemarketing company. Something about repossessions, too.

Odd how the fact of his immigration status may have saved Aaron from returning to Babylon in an American uniform. I'm sure he doesn't see it that way; I certainly do. The policies of the American government on immigration, or, perhaps their non-policies, have given birth to millions of Daniels, here in a foreign land, doing its labor, building its future, producing bright, capable people like Aaron, with far more potential than many citizens by birth. And we owe it to them to get this immigration thing right.

A wall won't solve that one.