Their Views for June 23

A sincere mahalo

My good friend and neighbor, Graham Ellis, is being deported.

He has been on the Big Island for 30 years, during which time he made more contributions to our community than anyone I know. He is being deported for the crime of being an undocumented alien in the era of President Donald Trump. While many of the tragedies of this administration seem far away, this is one that reached into our community to cause real harm. For all this time, he was widely known and authorities let him be. And for all this time, he made our communities better in many ways.

Graham started many organizations, including the Hiccup Circus and the Bellyacres Community. Through these and others, he has involved so many of our keiki in productive learning activities and genuine fun. In a place where there is little organized activities for keiki, he provided a variety of active, educational and esteem-building adventures for kids who had little positive influence in their lives. I personally know dozens of kids whose lives were enriched by Graham and his efforts, and they speak with gratitude and appreciation about him. Some of these kids were without much hope and he would take them under his wings and help them grow, with confidence and a sense of belonging.

For these reasons I consider Graham Ellis the best American citizen I have known. If more of us contributed to our community the way Graham does, we would have a better world. But we are now in an era of cracking down on the “Bad Hombres.” The bad hombres are not as easy to find, so innocent honest people such as Graham become victims of a counterproductive immigration crackdown that does not keep us safe and tears apart good families for no reason.

There is some good news to share. Because this is the Aloha State, Graham was treated with respect. Local officials did what they had to, but showed their humanity by allowing him 45 days to wrap up personal affairs before leaving. Graham and his ohana appreciate this compassion. Unfortunately, there are many in the Federal Detention Center awaiting deportation who did not have Graham’s support network, many of whom are desperate for some assistance. Let’s not forget about them.

There are 40,000 undocumented aliens in Hawaii. Many have been here 10 years or more; many have children that will be lost without them. Most are without means to defend themselves and most contribute to our society. We must tell their stories, tell the many ways they contribute and fight back against unreasoned fear and scapegoating.

It’s important for these people to know our local police are not directly involved in the deportations. There is no need to hide from or fear our local police. To our local authorities, I say a big “Mahalo” for living aloha and supporting our people.

I appreciate the efforts of many to assist Graham and others in this situation. Shingai Masai of U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office in particular was helpful and concerned, and did what he could. He reminded me that we need true immigration reform, which must include pathways to citizenship, recognition of the contributions of immigrants and a method to discern who needs deporting and who should remain welcome in our country. Border patrols and deportation of whoever is easiest to find is not reform, and is in fact inhumane.

We are better than this. America has a special place in the world. Let’s return to the higher calling that founded our country. I’m an immigrant, my parents were immigrants and except for Native Americans and Native Hawaiians, this is a nation of immigrants and their children. We cannot turn our backs on our heritage and our destiny.

Russell E. Ruderman

State senator, D-Puna, Ka‘u