We honor Scott Warren, the Arizona schoolteacher who defied US law by giving food, water, & shelter to immigrants & refugees from Mexico & Central America. We honor Pia Klemp, the German boat captain being prosecuted by Italy for rescuing African refugees in the Mediterranean. We honor Miguel Roldán & all the other Spanish firemen being prosecuted for rescuing African refugees. We honor Cedric Herrou, the French farmer convicted & fined in 2017 for helping immigrants & refugees cross the French-Italian border. They, along with immigration rights activists around the world, represent the very best of humanity for risking prosecution & jail to assist fellow human beings.
But the immigrant & refugee crises all over the world will not end until the rest of us follow the example of these remarkable humanitarians by organizing massive, public social movements to defend the human right of immigration & asylum. Humanitarian acts, even those requiring extreme courage, must be backed with political pressure & power or these inspiring activists will end up in jail along with refugees.