WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM A VENEZUELAN LYFT DRIVER

I had a 10 minute ride with a Venezuelan immigrant, that changed my life and my thoughts on the immigration debate.

So the other morning, I got into a Lyft. After conversing with the driver, I asked him where he came from. He said he and his family made the dangerous trip and crossed the border illegally in Texas. He has been here for several years now and is very happy to be in the US.

When I asked him why he made the dangerous trip, he said the Socialists took over his beautiful country and destroyed it. There were no opportunities, no jobs and danger everywhere! Then I asked how the Socialists took over. He said his former country wich was the most wealthy in South America, got “fat, dumb and lazy!” They believed the lies told by the Socialists, that the government would give and do everything for them. (Sounds familiar, Democrats!)

The rest of the ride consisted of discussions about the election of Trump and his promises of shrinking government, shrinking useless and costly regulations and cutting taxes. So I asked him what turned out to be the question of the day:

If his countrymen overthrew the government, and elected a leader who is like Trump, would he return to Venezuela?

Without hesitation he instantly said YES. He loved the country he grew up in and was able to prosper until the socialists took over!

After some peace and quiet that morning, I started to ponder the entire conversation. I learned more in that short 10 minute ride than over the past few years. I figured out if I was him, I would have done the same thing, maybe 10 times over. I really got the fact that a father would do anything to protect and feed his family, even break the law. I really had a human connection and understanding with another human being, who wanted the same thing I did. (Not just an illegal border crosser.)

In closing, I am still against illegal immigration. I am all for a legal system that draws honest people to our country, who don’t expect free shit from the government. Rather than focusing on our border 100%, how about we spend our time and some money helping the Venezuelan people overthrow their government, and rebuild their once prosperous country. Or, how about we spend our foreign dollars rebuilding countries like Venezuela, like we did after WW2 with Germany and Japan?

I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I did.

And yes, this is a true story!

Happy 2025.

Sunny