My most recent issue of Massachusetts Wildlife explains that relocating wild animals is both harmful and illegal. “Imagine, for a moment, if you were removed from your home and randomly “relocated” to a place where you had never been before and were given no money, means of communication, supplies, or directions. It would be disorienting and stressful, to say the least, and locating and obtaining the basic necessities in this circumstance would be incredibly difficult.” Uh-huh. This is the situation facing migrants who have lived in the United States for 10 or 20 years and are deported back to their “home” countries. It seems that the rabbit in your backyard enjoys more protections than the migrant who has lived in your neighborhood for 20 years. Of all the Trump administration’s abuses, its treatment of non-citizens is the most alarming if only because the line that this administration draws between citizens and non-citizens is razor thin and has already been crossed more than once.

Kathe Geist

Charlemont