Ethical leadership ensures immigration system centers on dignity
Opinion/Your Turn: Ethical leadership ensures immigration system centers on dignity
Published Oct. 8, 2022
The recent relocation of approximately 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard is a stark reminder of the human consequences that occur when partisan politics influence immigration policies. It’s also a reminder of what can happen when individuals and local communities transcend these politics and turn towards caring for and welcoming the stranger.
Since 2015 I’ve studied the experiences and outcomes of vulnerable immigrants, including unaccompanied children. This research, guided by social work values and ethical principles, can inform our understanding of what happened in Martha’s Vineyard, and what local, state, and federal authorities can do moving forward.
Social work ethical principles are a helpful guide for understanding the consequences of Florida Gov. DeSantis’s decision to relocate migrants from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard. The reported deception that was used to influence migrants to relocate to Martha’s Vineyard infringed on their dignity and worth as human beings and perpetuates broader social injustice for vulnerable immigrants who seek asylum in the United States.
The apparent lack of coordination with local officials, resulting in little notice and stressing the capacity to organize and support the migrants, depicted a lack of integrity and overlooked the importance of human relationships. These are specific examples of how social work values — dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, social justice, and integrity — explain the consequences of policy decisions.
And yet, these same values can help explain the ways in which local officials organized, collaborated, and met the needs of the newcomers after their arrival on Martha’s Vineyard. Local officials identified and met basic human needs including food and shelter. Migrants were soon connected with legal support to help them begin the process of navigating the complex U.S. immigration system. Each of these acts brings to life the recognition that all human beings have dignity and worth, that human relationships have central importance and that leading with integrity can promote trust among citizens and solve complex challenges.
Perhaps most striking to me was a photo shared by a local journalist that depicted a group of high school students playing a ball game with a group of young migrants in Martha’s Vineyard. The photo portrays the capacity of young people to make connections and initiate relationships with people they may perceive as other. It represents the spirit of welcoming the stranger, and how this can promote stability and healing in the wake of trauma.
DeSantis’ policy of sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard was a reaction to anger and frustration, whereas the young people in Martha’s Vineyard playing a ball game with the migrants were responsive to their needs and recognized their inherent dignity and worth as human beings.
The long-term goal for us as a nation is to ensure that our immigration system centers on the dignity and worth of all people while maximizing the potential of immigrants and resettlement communities alike. States along the Southern border experience the impacts of migration differently than other states. However, ethical leadership means approaching complex challenges with integrity and a spirit of collaboration, and a willingness to coordinate efforts that meet the needs of vulnerable people. The spirit of what it means to meet the needs of newcomers was on full display in Martha’s Vineyard, and the rest of the nation should take note.
Robert G. Hasson III, Ph.D., LICSW, is an assistant professor of social work at Providence College.
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