After Mawulidi came by for a tour of Bedlam Farm, we drove over to Pompanuck Farms. Scott Carrino volunteered to cut down an ash tree for Mawulidi for his wood carvings, and Mawulidi was delighted by the wood. We packed about a dozen of these pieces into the van and some larger ones for his taller sculptures.

Mawulidi left a very happy man. He said he would start work on his carvings right away. He asked me to thank everyone who helped.

He’ll come back to Pompanuck and to my farm in a couple of weeks to get more wood. Mawulidi says he will start out by carving birds and flowers and small animals. Maria and I will sell his work on our websites until he figures out a permanent way to show his work.

Mawulidi is not  tech savvy, nor he is political. He says nothing about the immigration battles raging in Washington. But he is the prime target for the new administrations proposed new immigration policies. Under the new proposals, the immigration of unskilled workers to the United States would be drastically cut in favor or wealthier and more highly skilled immigrants.

A refugee or immigrant’s willingness to work hard would no longer be a factor. Almost all immigration experts favor choosing new immigrants carefully, and seeking out skilled workers. But under the new proposals, there would be few or no Mawulidi’s. I have been getting to know the refugees and immigrants in my area recently, and I can testify they are model citizens.

The new legislation would also decimate the number of migrant workers permitted to come to America and work on farms. Wealthy, skilled immigrants cannot replace them and Americans are not interested in applying for these jobs – just ask any farmer you know.

For one thing, it is not simple to survive as a refugee and get to the United States now. Only the most remarkable and determined people get through a long and arduous process.

There are scores of hoops to jump through, it takes time, patience, intelligence and a lot of hard work to get here. Mawulidi was working in a bakery within days of his arrival into the United States, he has supported his wife and four children ever since he arrived. He is working to learn English, and now has the tools to also renew his carving work and supplement his income further.

The refugee and immigrant parents I have met are obsessed with getting their children a good education and living a meaningful and independent life – they appreciate America in a way even many Americans can’t.

Mawulidi is a law-abiding, quiet family man with a lot of talent. It is a privilege to help him regain the tools he lost to do his life’s work. I can’t think of a better citizen for the United States, I couldn’t begin to relate the suffering he has experienced and never complains about. In the coming weeks, I hope to offer some of you his beautiful art work.

Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa is an argument for permitting people like him to continue to come to America. He is not here to do us harm or take our money, we have nothing to fear from him.