When I was young, my fourth-grade teacher tasked our class a project, focused on the history of our family. I learned through that assignment that my grandfather Gunard had traveled alone, at the age of 16, from Sweden, escaping famine and economic hardship in search for a better life.

I am reminded of this story, and the courage of my family, when I spend time with my new friends, individuals, and families from Colombia; all of whom traveled to this country, some alone, fleeing economic hardship, war, and threats to their lives, in search of a better life.

Many of us in Jamestown have this story; we know the sacrifice our parents or grandparents made. If you are like me, you have never once held judgement for those sacrifices, but rather immense pride.

And as we welcome new neighbors to Jamestown, we as a community could benefit from remembering that pride.

On May 2, the Biden administration announced a plan to send 1,500 troops to the US/Mexico border ahead of an expected surge of migrants once Title 42 expires next week. Title 42, utilized extensively under the Trump era, was challenged under the Supreme Court in 2022 when the Biden administration attempted to end its use, which primarily had circumvented immigration law to force migrants back across the border under the guise of preventing spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the pandemic officially ‘ends’, so will Title 42 on May 11.

And as Senator Bob Menedez (D-N.J) has stated, “there is already a humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere, and deploying military personnel only signals that migrants are a threat that require our nation’s troops to contain.”

While I agree that we should end Title 42 and open our borders to those who are fleeing from dangerous and life threatening circumstances, the reality is: how do we support an influx of migrants, particularly when our current system is complicated, lengthy, insufficient, and largely rooted in systemically xenophobic policies and implementation? The Biden administration is doing itself no favors in deploying troops and continuing to waste time in finding a sustainable solution. Conservative leaders, including our Senator Borello, are making the situation worse, continuing the false narrative that migrants are ‘invaders’, criminals and unworthy of the American Dream.

Despite the beliefs of many, migrants are not here to ‘invade’ our country. They do not automatically receive public assistance upon their arrival; in fact, what I am learning from the journey of my friends it is quite the opposite. Migrants largely can not legally work, and thus are not ‘stealing’ jobs from hardworking Americans; rather they are often forced into exploitive labor, working upwards of 20 hours per day in backbreaking agricultural or hospitality work.

Jamestown is no different than other cities in the sense that community is hard to navigate for newcomers. Community programs are often available only in English; medical offices have no easily streamlined translation services; providers lack training and cultural competency, a disservice to both client and advocate. The barriers are many, and the transition to a new and better life can be traumatic and confusing.

That said, I have been beyond proud of how our community has welcomed our new neighbors. Local hairdressers have offered free haircuts; restaurants going above and beyond to host birthday parties. Local faith groups have provided free clothing, hygiene products and school supplies. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church has organized a fund-drive, which has collected over $10,000 going directly to supporting my new friends housing and food needs.

And while this has been a beautiful thing, it is not enough. As Bianca Vazquez, organizer of Sanctuary DMV, a Migrant Justice volunteer group in Washington D.C., has put it, without significant federal response, “families will be sleeping on the streets…this problem has been created also in part due to [Department of Homeland Security’s] unwillingness to actually invest in resettlement and acknowledge that people are choosing to stay here.”

My new friends have chosen to make Jamestown their home, as my grandfather did 70 years ago. Their children are members of our children’s class; they worship alongside us at our churches. They share a love of the same music, and movies. They love their families as we love ours.

They deserve our support. They deserve an asylum-seeking system that functions. They deserve a better life. We know what must be done, now we must act. For more information: act.amnestyusa.org/page/123747/action/1?ea.tracking.id=spgcowst

Linnea Haskin is director of the Jamestown Public Market, a program of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.