Gnashing of Teeth

By Tommy Acosta

Sedona, AZ — America must prepare for a national gnashing of teeth as our government shifts into full-blown, pedal-to-the-metal mode, evicting and deporting undocumented migrants back to the countries they came from.

It won’t matter if someone is a criminal illegal immigrant or a hard-working person supporting and raising a family. The law is the law, according to Border Czar Tom Homan, and under this hardline approach, everyone without documentation will be sent packing, regardless of circumstance.

Not even Dreamers—those brought here as children through no fault of their own—or those born here under the current interpretation of birthright citizenship will be safe under the new administration’s policies.

Consider this: Jesus taught that simply being born in the nation of Israel would not guarantee someone a place in heaven (Matthew 8:12). In much the same way, former President Trump has implied that simply being born in the U.S. does not guarantee citizenship if the child’s parents are undocumented immigrants.

Let that sink in.

And let us not fool ourselves into thinking that deportations will begin with the so-called “criminal element” and only later move on to those who are peaceful, hardworking, and contributing to society.

In reality, the government will likely skip over the criminals because they will be harder to locate, more difficult to apprehend, and less willing to go quietly. Pursuing these individuals will take far more effort and resources than targeting families or individuals who are simply trying to live their lives.

Besides, leaving the criminal element intact serves a convenient narrative. Their continued presence ensures that crime statistics remain alarming enough to justify even more aggressive deportation measures. As long as criminals remain visible, fear will keep the general American population locked in their homes, glued to Fox News, and ever more supportive of the claim that all undocumented immigrants must be evicted from our country.

The result? Widespread weeping, crying, fear, disillusionment, depression, despair, and desperation. Families will be torn apart, and the proverbial gnashing of teeth will echo through the lives of those ripped away from the world they’ve built, thrust into an uncertain and dark future.

We’re not just talking about individuals here. Entire families—people who have assimilated into our culture, raised children who identify as American, and contributed to their communities—will be affected. The upheaval will be immense as these individuals are loaded onto buses and shipped out of the only country many of them have ever known.

The ripple effects will be devastating for everyone. Many U.S. businesses, especially in the hospitality and restaurant industries, will be crippled. These sectors rely heavily on the hard work of immigrants to operate.

Here in Sedona, it’s already difficult enough to find enough workers to meet the needs of the community. What happens when the labor pool is diminished to critical levels? Who will serve our meals in restaurants, clean the rooms in hotels and resorts, maintain our lawns and landscaping, and clean our homes?

One might reason that Sedona’s Windsong community would be the first to be decimated, as the ICE machine rumbles through our neighborhoods before moving on to Cottonwood and beyond in our corner of the world.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of an undocumented migrant living in America, raising a family, and working hard to build a better life. Imagine what it would feel like to see the end of your world approaching—an end that will shatter your family’s stability and thrust you into unimaginable uncertainty.

Then ask yourself this question: If you had the power to decide, would you choose to accept these individuals as they are, offering them a path to citizenship and the chance to continue contributing to society? Or would you send them back to their country of origin, forcing them to return only through lawful means?

Finally, consider this: What would Jesus do?