Gabino Sanchez and his family at a March rally outside the Charlotte Immigration Court building,

Much has been made of the undocumented Latino families who give birth to children in the United States.  The oft-repeated thought is that these parents conspired to have their children here in order to assure their own legal residency.  Thus the term “anchor babies”.

I know quite a few of these “anchor children”.  Many have been raised in my state, and they speak with a distinct accent — a North Carolina accent like mine.

They are generally bilingual, polite, and have a great love for this country and its people.  They ask permission to leave a room full of people, and greet each person when they arrive and when they leave. And they have one thing not necessarily enjoyed by their parents — US citizenship.

In Spanish one describes good manners and comportment as “un buena educación”.  Literally “a good education”, but not one that comes from the school or university, but from family.  Needless to say, to the Hispanic communities family is extremely important.

In spite of their method of entry, these parents came to the United States and later chose to start a family here. They came to find safety and / or opportunity for their children.  They often have risked their own lives and security trying to get here.

Once they arrive they look for work to support their growing families.  In short they possess the very qualities that made our country so great.  They bring stability and hope for the future.  To them the American Dream is not some entitlement but an opportunity to contribute and be productive, and to teach their children to do the same.

In short they are the anchors for their families, of the millions of young US citizens maturing under their care.

So every time I read of another family being assaulted and one of the family members held in a detention center, I feel our country getting a little weaker, not stronger.

I feel the terror of a young person who has just unexpectedly lost his or her mom or dad to some sheriff’s deputy or police officer with ICE connections.

I feel the sense the hopelessness of a young USAmerican whose anchor chain has just been broken, and who is left to float in the apathetic and often hostile waters of an uninterested homeland.

I feel a chill that strikes the heart of these young US citizens, and therefore to the core of the land that they and I claim as our own.