In recent weeks we have been told that “immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country.” As I ponder that statement I find myself concluding that the words themselves are more toxic to our nation than the immigrants they indict. 

The dissemination of hate and disinformation is an existential threat to our democracy. It targets vulnerable groups as our enemies, placing them at personal risk, and tearing at the social fabric of our nation. Such incendiary statements serve to reinforce racial resentments and an already dangerous political divide. 

They are stated with heinous intent and are cruel and self-serving. This language also serves to degrade democracy by undermining the suffering and determination of those who are willing to endure unspeakable hardship to secure it, including all those who have come before them and contributed to this great nation.

How are these immigrants different from the rest of us, who in recent centuries left their homelands and families in pursuit of economic and religious freedom, to escape wars, famines, social injustice, and governments unresponsive to their needs? The trek north to America reflects a longing for a new beginning, to escape crime and corruption, to seek the protections and social support they have been denied, and to pursue work and educational opportunities for themselves and their families.

These immigrants simply want to live free and work to improve the quality of their lives. They are seeking the freedoms available in a secure and functioning democracy and are willing to take enormous risks to acquire them. Their trek to our borders is wrought with hazardous conditions beyond imagination. Traveling thousands of miles at night, often with young children, crossing rugged mountains and raging rivers, are but a few of the challenges faced by those on the journey. They are subjected to extreme temperatures and weather conditions, dehydration, inadequate clothing, lack of food and shelter, theft, physical and sexual assault, and often injury and death.

What can we take away from the courage and perseverance of those willing to risk everything for freedom and a better life? Are we reminded of how fortunate we are to live in a democracy where there is rule of law, social justice, educational and job opportunities, healthcare, and social safety nets for those in need? Are we grateful to our founders for a government that allows us freedom to participate, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech? Do we have a renewed appreciation for free and fair elections, our right to participate, to have a voice, to vote for the leaders who make the decisions that impact on our lives?

The immigrants crossing our borders for asylum are not poisoning our country. Their courage and resourcefulness, their indisputable perseverance under the most extraordinary conditions, serve to inspire us.

They remind us of who we were when we embarked on our own journey to the New World. They remind us of our prevailing hope, expectation, and stalwart determination for liberty and a better life.

Immigrants do not “poison the blood of our country,” but conversely, remind us of the untold suffering of those throughout history who valued personal freedom and fought to preserve American democracy. They remind us that the blood of this nation is enriched by all of us, regardless of our race, ethnicity, or religion.

Immigrants remind us that freedom and democracy are dearly valued by others who do not have it, and that the pursuit of it is worth risking physical harm, even death.

Claire M. Walsh lives in Killingworth.