Attacks on Immigrants are Attacks on Us All
By Joel Connelly
The caregiver tending to me spoke with a familiar accent and sought to ascertain my worldly knowledge when I asked where he was from. The answer: “Haile Selassie.” In short, he was an Ethiopian emigrant seeking the American dream.
Donald Trump directs vitriol toward immigrants from East Africa, but I find the one I have met splendid folk. I am reminded that Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia, spoke before the League of Nations after Italy used poison gas in invading his country.
Benito Mussolini, meet Donald Trump. Il Duce was a jut-jawed narcissist, who invites comparisons with our 47th president. The two guys share a cruelty. Neither show(ed) respect for any law. Trump aide Stephen Miller puts it succinctly: Might makes right.
How does this affect us? Because emigres from places like Kenya and Ethiopia do our society’s grunt work, getting demonized and stigmatized while performing vital tasks. A priest from Kenya is part of the pastoral team at St. James Cathedral. Immigrants are also bulwarks of the agricultural industry that is the state’s most important economic engine.
https://www.postalley.org/2026/02/15/attacks-on-immigrants-are-attacks-on-us-all/?mc_cid=7a6bfaa2ff&mc_eid=a0c4847065