Welcome back to Infinite Threads: Conversations on Love, Connection, and Compassion.
I’m your host, Bob Barnett — and today, we’re diving into something that’s not just political... it’s personal. Not because of our affiliations or ideologies, but because it’s about people. Real people. Living, struggling, surviving, and often being used as pawns in a system that talks about justice but forgets about love.
Let me start with something I said online recently:
“You don’t get to call people an ‘invasion’ and then quietly protect them when it benefits your bottom line.”
I stand by that. And I want to unpack why.
You see, some politicians stir up fear about undocumented immigrants. They call them criminals, invaders, threats. They campaign on promises to deport them all, to shut the borders, to protect “us” from “them.”
But then—quietly, behind the scenes—they make exceptions.
For farms.
For hotels.
For the very industries that depend on undocumented labor to keep running.
Why? Because their donors need those workers. Because their businesses, or their friends’ businesses, would collapse without them.
So suddenly, enforcement gets “paused.” Not out of compassion. Not out of humanity. But out of economic necessity.
And here’s where I draw the line:
If undocumented immigrants are truly as dangerous as they’re portrayed to be, then why carve out exceptions for industries that profit from their labor?
If they’re really an invasion, then isn’t shielding certain sectors just choosing money over principle?
The truth is, this was never about national security. It’s about control. It’s about fear. And yes—it’s about votes.
People are being demonized publicly and protected privately.
Punished on paper, but relied upon in silence.
That’s not policy. That’s exploitation.
And compassion, real compassion, can’t be conditional.
Now—let’s slow down. Let’s breathe.
Because I know this is a heated issue.
And I want to say clearly:
You don’t have to agree with me on everything.
You don’t have to be for open borders or against enforcement to see that something here doesn’t add up.
Even those who believe in strong immigration laws have to wrestle with this question:
Why do we enforce selectively?
Why are we okay deporting a mother of two who cleans offices at night, but not the man whose hotel empire depends on her?
Where’s the justice in that?
And beyond that—where’s the love?
One commenter told me, “I make logical decisions. I won’t open my house or my country to people who might do harm.”
And I hear that. Fear is real. But so is desperation. And logic without compassion… turns cold fast.
Logic might tell you to close your door.
But love? Love asks, “What if I were the one on the outside?”
Many of the people crossing the border are running from things we can’t imagine. Cartels. War. Starvation. Political persecution.
And yes—some are trafficked. Some are manipulated. Some commit crimes.
But many… most… are simply seeking to survive.
You don’t have to open your house. But maybe—just maybe—you can open your heart.
Another person quoted Romans 13:1 to justify obedience to immigration laws.
But let’s not forget: Jesus broke laws when they conflicted with compassion.
He healed on the Sabbath.
He protected a woman from legal execution.
He touched lepers.
He fed the hungry.
He loved without a checklist.
You can’t weaponize scripture to justify cruelty while ignoring all the places where Jesus said: Love your neighbor. Welcome the stranger. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
And I get it—some of you are worried about safety.
About crime.
About being taken advantage of.
I hear that.
But I want to gently challenge it too.
Because when we look at the data—not just the headlines or the rumors—we see that most crime, most mass shootings, most acts of violence in this country… are committed by people who were born here.
Not by undocumented migrants.
Not by refugees.
Not by people “crossing illegally.”
In fact, study after study shows that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens.
So if this isn’t about crime… and it isn’t about jobs…
What’s it really about?
I think it’s about story.
The story we tell ourselves about who belongs… and who doesn’t.
About who deserves compassion… and who doesn’t.
About who gets to be seen as human… and who gets reduced to a label: illegals. invaders. threats.
That kind of storytelling doesn’t just dehumanize others.
It damages us.
It shrinks our capacity for love.
And if we let it… it makes us forget that every human being—every single one—was once a child.
So maybe the better question isn’t “Who should we deport?”
Maybe it’s “What kind of country do we want to be?”
One ruled by fear?
Or one guided by love?
One that sees people as problems?
Or one that dares to see people as people?
I believe we’re better than the rhetoric.
I believe we’re stronger than our fears.
And I believe love is still the greatest force in the world.
So I’ll keep saying it.
Even when it’s unpopular.
Even when people say I’m naive.
Even when I’m told, “You’ll change your mind when it affects you.”
Because it does affect me.
It affects all of us.
Our hearts.
Our communities.
Our souls.
This is about who we choose to be—not just in policy, but in practice.
You don’t have to open your home.
But maybe today, you can open your heart.
This has been Infinite Threads.
I’m Bob Barnett.
And love… is the thread that mends us.
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