{"id":3918,"date":"2014-11-23T08:40:52","date_gmt":"2014-11-23T13:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=3918"},"modified":"2014-11-23T08:58:14","modified_gmt":"2014-11-23T13:58:14","slug":"ordering-immigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=3918","title":{"rendered":"ordering immigration"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mexican-flag-300x225\"<\/a>Years ago I shared an apartment with a man name \u201cPepe.\u201d \u201cShared\u201d is a relevant term. More accurately, my friend — for whom \u201cPepe\u201d served as a colloquial cognomen for a far longer name (necessitating significantly more advanced pronunciation skills) —\u00a0<\/em>gave me 100 bucks each month to camp on my couch.<\/p>\n

Pepe was a Mexican citizen. His wife was expecting their first child. You should have seen his face in anticipation of that child… a quiet, gentle man — a man who looked only a known friend in the eye — his countenance shone unprecedentedly brightly when thinking of his future son. \u00a0Amazing… just amazing. \u00a0I was so touched by his hope… by his joy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pepe lived with me for those few months, away from his wife, as he worked two<\/em> full-time jobs in South Florida in hopes of making enough money to pay for the baby\u2019s birth. I have thought of him often as the immigration debate swirls — how he would have been affected. It helps me to think of Pepe. It helps me to think of that quiet, gentle man… a man who was unquestionably humble, never feeling entitled, a man who embraced hard work and never ceased to count his many blessings.<\/p>\n

Last Thursday Pres. Obama announced that he was taking executive action in order to reform the nation\u2019s immigration system. He will make law without congressional input. Here is a brief snapshot of the relevant facts:<\/p>\n