When Kindness is a Crime

 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him,
and went away, leaving him half dead...

 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him;
and when he saw him, he was moved with pity...

Which of these three, do you think,
was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 
 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10


Canadians don't know their bibles all that well anymore (did they ever?)but one New Testament parable of Jesus is still recognizable to many. While only a small percentage could give you the full story of the Good Samaritan they get it that a kind person helped a stranger and went out of his way to do so. There are Good Samaritan headlines regularly and some jurisdictions have Good Samaritan laws which punish bystanders who don't attempt to help those in distress.

We sure don't expect that those who do reach out to provide aid and assistance to those in distress will be charged with a crime but that's what has happened to Scott Warren who is part of a group which provides water, food, and medical aid to those entering the United States illegally. They often cross into the States through the desert and a significant number die there in the harsh conditions. Warren and the others don't often see those they help because they leave supplies in likely spots to be found. They also work from "The Barn" a humanitarian aid centre.



Warren, a community college teacher was arrested by Border Patrol agents on the private property of the Barn without a warrant. He has since been charged with  two counts of harbouring and one count of conspiracy. If convicted and sentenced to consecutive terms, Warren could serve up to 20 years in prison. It's interesting that his arrest came the same day that the faith-based organization No More Deaths had published a critical report implicating the Border Patrol in the destruction of thousands of gallons of water left for migrants in the desert. This certainly seems to be retaliation for exposing inhumane practices.


Sadly, this is not the only incident of someone providing assistance who was detained. A Texas woman pulled over on the highway one dark  night to help what turned out to be three young Central American migrants who had flagged her down. She decided to pick them up and take them to safety, only to be arrested a short while later. While no charges were laid she spent time in a cell before being released. Teresa Todd, a public attorney says she was just attempting to be a Good Samaritan:

It’s been pretty transformative for me, to be perfectly honest. To have devoted my life to public service, and then to be Mirandized, detained and investigated as if I’m a human smuggler. The whole thing was really, really, very surreal. It was like a ‘Twilight Zone.’

There is something radically wrong when kindness becomes a crime, and brutality is rewarded. Thank God for those who have the courage to listen to Jesus and love their neighbours.