Who is your neighbor?

For many of us these past four months have just been a terrible nuisance. For those “without papers,” the coveted documents that permit a person to work legally with a real Social Security number, it has been more than a nuisance. It has been an unmitigated disaster. Fortunately, churches have stepped in to help alleviate the situation but considering that there are maybe as many as 500,000 such persons in New Jersey church food pantries are not enough. 

Food banks in various counties are also running low on food and other items like toothpaste and toothbrushes not to mention diapers. As the economy reopens, so to speak, many without employment authorization have been left out from its benefits. 

Who are they? Some came here to work and send money back to the home countries where because of a variety of factors, there is either no work or no security to work.  Some came here seeking asylum and have not met the requirements imposed by our government to get work authorization, and new requirements imposed will make it even more difficult to work. They are our neighbors just as surely as was the Samaritan.