I'm just doing my job, Ma'am.

Looking beyond the surface to find compassion

We’ve heard the phrase countless times—“I’m just doing my job.” It’s a common refrain, often used as a shield against personal responsibility when carrying out difficult, bureaucratic, or ethically complex tasks. But what happens when the job itself causes harm,

Photo by Spenser H on Unsplash

not just to others, but to the soul of the one performing it?

In light of recent ICE raids and immigration enforcement actions, I find myself aching—not only for those who are torn from their families, communities, and lives, but also for those tasked with executing these orders. It is easy to vilify the enforcer, the uniformed individual who knocks on the door.

What if this were your husband, son, or neighbor? I am NOT making excuses, I am as horrified by what is going on as you are, but as the mother of three sons, I am concerned for the long-term mental, emotional, and spiritual health of these individuals who are simply: “Doing their jobs.”

I lost a brother in Vietnam who was doing his job, drafted at the ripe young age of 18 – can you imagine that – 18 – he was a baby. But he left, did his job, and gave his life. Our family was painfully impacted forever. Was he evil for going?

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