Immigrant - a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country?

The desperation is real.  They're not an "issue" to be solved  but a people to be helped.  I cannot even think  about the one that died  without realising  'Maybe I saw him/her.  Maybe I even have  a picture of them'  When I visited the migrant camp  in Calais with my mum  we were close to tears.  We could feel the fear  that swept through the camp.  Thousands and thousands of  people  sleeping in tents  and 'shelters'  made of bin bags.  It's all they have.  For a lot of people,  it's better  than where they used to be.  They want the best life,  not for themselves,  but for their families.  I'm sure not one of you  reading this  would sit there and say  you wouldn't risk  your life  saving the one(s) you love  the only way you know how. The truth is: to them  this is the only way.  They hear stories  of Europe the green grass  on the other side  and they want some of that,  who can blame them  when a lot of us want it  so bad that we  wouldn't  give  it  up. In an ideal world,  we'd realise what we have  is a lot more than  what we need.  If we cut back on  big houses  and  expensive belongings  and saw that we CAN  live on less and  still be happy  then we could help  those that need the  necessities. 
One way that I'm doing this is with a group of friends from my church. We're going out to Mexico to build a home for a family without a house. We're going to be living on the bare minimum for the week whilst we build the foundation to the roof and hand over the keys on the last day. We'll get to play with the local children and really see what pure joy they get out of acts of love.   I realised recently that many people base their happiness on the temporary - a new car, a new phone, a Starbucks on the way to school/work. In essence, this is basing your happiness on money.  These immigrants, human beings with feelings, don't base their happiness on the latest IOS update with new emojis, they are happy because they are loved and they love.  The situation I witnessed was terrible. I wanted to give so much - food, water, a fresh change of clothes. Sure, they might've loved that, but the pill of burnt clothes tells me that there are things they need more. Warmth. Shelter. Safety. Maslow's hierarchy of needs says: On a most basic level humans need food, water, sleep. 100 or so of the women and children get two meals a day. The rest of them have to fend for themselves. Having already travelled thousands of miles they don't have money to throw away on coffee and meals out. They need to source basic rations. Yes, the French have given them a clean water supply. The next level up says that they need safety and shelter. It depends what you define as a shelter as to whether this one is fulfilled. But I can tell you right now that they are not safe. Traffickers have spotted an easy prey. Every night is a gamble as to whether they wake up in the same state they were in the day before, or worse, never better.  Disease will spread like wildfire through this camp. If you can't empathise with the adults then at least know in your hearts that the children had no choice too. The child I saw stood half in the straw hut his guardian had built, showing an element of fear and of hope at the sight of our modern car and camera. Were we there to help? Were we there to take away their decency?  I couldn't help then, but I can help now.  Please, just think before you next post about how frustrating operation stack is. Every time I get caught in it. Break, clutch, break, clutch. It hurts my knees. My knees aren't strong and they certainly don't like driving through traffic. But I don't think about that. I think about the poor mother or brother or sister or son that died, risking his/her life to help the ones they loved and themselves. It's not a crime to want the best for yourself either.  Think first, you have a car and a destination. They have neither.
Written after reading this article: ITV - Immigrant dies as 1,500 try to enter channel tunnel.
Matthew 25:31-46 Luke 3:11