Everything is love by Shedwin Eliassin

The topic and theme of my blog post for this week is everything is love because when it comes to understanding immigration issues you people need to know that the immigrants who need our help cannot afford to pay for it. I believe that love is the most powerful force on earth and the greatest gift from God to mankind. The greeks spoke of love often, even categorizing love into four distinct categories; Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape, in an effort to understand the many facets of love and all of its forms. I will focus on the latter of the four: Agape love. Agape, is an unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface and accepts the person for whom he/she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings or faults. It’s the type of love that everyone should strive to have for their fellow human beings. Although you may not like someone, you decide to love them just as a human being. This kind of love is all about sacrifice as well as giving and expecting nothing in return. The translation of the word agape is love in the verb – form: it is the love demonstrated by your behavior towards another person. All parties involved--from the immigrant’s themselves--to the families who are affected by the policies we draft, and the volunteers on the ground are the epitome of Agape love. The greatest commandment Jesus left us with is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In my last blog post I briefly discussed the work El Refugio does but I did not go in depth in describing how their volunteers sit for hours some days outside of Stewart Detention Center waiting for released detainees to provide them with a hot meal, clothes, toiletries, rides to wherever they need to go, or most importantly a bed if they have no where to go. Stewart is literally in the middle of nowhere. When immigrants are released on bond they are dropped off on the side of the street and left to fend for themselves. Many of them have no family in the area, no money, and no sense of where they are. El Refugio takes nothing from them. This is the kind of sacrificial love that expects nothing in return. Ghandi said “be the change you want to be in the world.” The lead attorney for SIFI’s Lumpkin office told me her story the other day regarding how she got involved into immigration law. Without baring her story in its entirety she told me that she saw and need and went to law school to obtain the necessary skills to meet it. She didn’t just write a check, she didn’t just make a facebook post (not that anything is wrong with either of those things) but she sacrificed her time, valuable time she could be using to raise her children and be with her family to work tireless for their release. Detainees chances of winning their cases increase by 90% once released from detention because it allows them to effectively prepare for their hearings or find representation. One man in particular, whom I will never forget, crossed eleven (11) borders with his pregnant wife to escape persecution in his home country. He was denied bond because his sister who agreed to support him did not earn enough money. Almost immediately a pastor selfless agreed to be responsible for him, his wife, and newborn child. When it comes to the people on the ground or involved in this fight against detention EVERYTHING IS LOVE. We do this work out of love and genuine respect for their humanity and their dignity.