In the past week, American immigration agents have dragged a US citizen from his home in his underwear and executed a protester in her vehicle on a public street at gunpoint. They have wrestled press photographers to the ground. They have pushed and shoved violently. They have sprayed chemical agents on the faces of bystanders. They have stormed into hospitals and churches in search of immigrants. They have taken breastfeeding mothers from their babies at routine meetings. They gleefully named a program to capture immigrants on the New England seacost “Catch of the Day,” as if these people and their families were animals to be netted.
All this, and I still see articles delicately debating how I.C.E. raids expose “ideological fault lines” in American society.
We have long passed the point where America was discussing constructive, productive solutions to immigration. There was once, not so long ago, an ideological discussion to be had: should we allow immigrants? How many? From where and for which jobs? And, given the dysfunctional system for arriving legally, how should we address those who didn’t follow the process? The only argument that matters now is, how should we treat our fellow human beings? As pieces of meat, or as people who deserve dignity, respect, and due process under the law? It’s a question that, in a functioning society, has nothing to do with citizenship or immigration status. If you struggle with this “ideological fault line,” I question whether you are a human.
In my world of tech startups, the chaos of business sometimes gets in the way of running a perfect hiring process. One of my favorite HR people gave a name to the framework I’ve always tried to follow: “red carpet in, red carpet out.” Stay classy at every stage, regardless of circumstances. Preserve personal dignity and organizational reputation with every message and action you take. Your reputation for fairness and kindness and transparency outlasts every potentially difficult situation. It’s the right thing to do.
I believe it. I wish my country believed it too.