The irony of pictures surfacing on Twitter of helpless families being sprayed with tear gas just days after Thanksgiving, a holiday celebrating love and gratitude, is all too much.

   America is no stranger to immigration issues. In recent years, there has been a noticeable resentment toward migrants, arguably encouraged by the current White House administration. President Trump has been fighting for a wall to keep Mexican immigrants from crossing the border and entering America illegally since before he officially took office.

   Most people opposed to these views can understand the standpoint of wanting migrants to enter the country with some sort of intention to become legal. However, it’s the completely inhumane approach to border control that has disturbed so many.

  Border control means “measures adopted by a country to regulate and monitor its borders.” The US is not the only country that controls its barriers (most countries do), but it certainly is the one making the most headlines for its aggressive approach.

   The legality of the use of tear gas has been questioned for years. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Donald Trump’s White House Press Secretary, claims that Obama’s administration also used this measure at the border during his presidency.

   It doesn’t matter if the gas was legal or not, if it was used by a Democrat or a Republican, if it happened today or sometime within the last 10 years. What matters is it was wrong and that there are other ways to control our borders without putting people’s lives in harm’s way.

  This isn’t the first time Trump’s handling of immigrant families has caused an outrage. Just earlier this year, many Americans were calling for a change when it was revealed that migrant children were being detained at the border in cages like animals.

   In school, I overheard a student converse with somebody about the use of tear gas on immigrants.

   “Hey, have you heard about the recent border control events? I’ve never been happier,” he said.

   How heartless can someone be to find joy in something as sinister as harming young, innocent children? The children did not choose to cross the border illegally- their parents did. And whether that’s okay or not has nothing to do with the fact that those kids shouldn’t have been hurt.

   It’s easy to say, “just become citizens like the rest of us” when we are not in the same shoes as these families.

   Most of us were born and raised in this country, giving us the ultimate privilege of birthright citizenship. Most of us have never had to flee the country due to a violent or life-threatening situation.

  Most of us haven’t had to leave everything behind just to feel safe in our own homes. So it doesn’t take much effort or thought to type in the comments of a news article on your iPhone X in your middle class home in a peaceful suburban neighborhood, “just become legal!” You have no idea what it’s like.

   Americans have become so obsessed with the idea of being the most superior country with the lowest unemployment rates and “putting Americans first” that they have seemingly forgotten compassion in any form. Are Americans suddenly too good to help people seeking asylum?

   The underlying issue of it all is that the process to become legal is extremely strenuous. It can take years to obtain a visa, not to mention the anxiety-inducing citizenship tests and interviews those who wish to become officially American must pass. When people are fleeing from danger, nothing else matters besides getting out.

   Most of these people aren’t just coming to America to use up all our benefits and take all of our jobs like some so fervently believe. They are coming here because they have no other option.

   If you are going to support the violence towards Mexican immigrants, don’t support it days after a holiday tracing back to a day in 1621 when people of different races set aside their discrepancies and gathered around one shared table. And maybe after reading this and finding it somewhere within yourself, don’t support it at all.