Not the Wyoming way: Immigration policy that betrays our values

I’ve lived in Wyoming for more than 50 years and have seen firsthand the “neighbors caring for neighbors” spirit that defines this state. The deep-seated sense of community and willingness to lend a hand is what I value most about Wyoming, and it’s what motivates me, as a former educator, to assist immigrant families who need support.

But what I’m seeing now — federal agents carrying military-grade weapons and creating an atmosphere of terror in our communities — is not the Wyoming I know and love.

If you’re stuck by the side of the road in winter, someone stops to help — not because they know you, but because they know we can’t survive here alone. This isn’t bleeding-heart liberalism. This is conservative common sense forged in the reality of rural life.

Wyoming depends on seasonal workers for our tourist economy. We’ve always needed them. When the broker system in 1996 failed immigrant families, leaving women and children stranded here while fathers returned to Mexico for visas that never came, the community came together. Nonprofits, public health workers, churches and ordinary citizens created support systems — English classes, job skills, a free health care clinic and food assistance. I helped with paperwork and finding resources. I have seen firsthand how complex our immigration system can be; obtaining  legal status is not a straightforward nor clear-cut path. And now we have U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hunting individuals who have tried to play by our rules but have been left with no documentation of legal status.

The current approach taken by the Department of Homeland Security that has played out so viciously all over the country destroys what efforts communities in Wyoming have made. It treats human beings like criminals for trying to provide for their families. It drives people into hiding and tears families apart. It pushes away the workers our economy desperately needs. When reckless policies and lack of legal due process push out the people who keep our hotels full, our restaurants staffed and our families cared for, all Wyomingites suffer.

I’ve worked with young children for most of my career, so I can tell you with absolute certainty, the trauma we are inflicting on them right now will last their entire lives. It will impact their behavior, their learning, their health, and their ability to trust and form relationships.

While their parents may be undocumented, many of these children are American citizens by birthright. When we terrorize their parents, when we separate families, when we create an environment where a trip to the store could mean mom or dad never comes home, we are traumatizing American children.

We need immigration reform that reflects our values, not our worst impulses. We need a clear, accessible, properly vetted pathway to citizenship for people who are already making valuable contributions to our communities. We need reform that guarantees due process for the apprehended and doesn’t rely on privately run detention centers operating without oversight. And we need to stop spending billions on enforcement while leaving millions of cases unresolved, clogging up courts and wasting taxpayer dollars.

I’m calling on Wyoming’s elected officials to remember what conservatism actually means. It means respecting the rule of law — including due process. It means fiscal responsibility — not wasting billions on militarized enforcement that damages our economy. It means protecting families — all families. It means caring for our neighbors and helping everyone stuck by the side of the road — because that’s the Wyoming way.