The modern world seems disturbingly replete with echoes of the biblical King Herod, a tyrannical figure who compelled the family of Jesus to seek refuge in Egypt. Drawing parallels between the Christmas tale and the current international migration crisis, particularly in the western hemisphere, can yield vital insights.
The account of baby Jesus and his parents escaping from their home to Egypt to avoid King Herod the Great’s brutal rule forms an essential component of the Christian narrative that I was raised with. Today, this story is particularly poignant as we observe numerous leaders driving their citizens into exile, much like modern-day ‘Egypts’ offering sanctuary.
Several dictators of contemporary times bear close resemblance to the destructive Herod. Like him, they have instigated a significant amount of the migrant crisis, especially at the U.S. southern border. Their actions have condemned numerous innocent lives to desperation and despair.
One widely reviled leader who has contributed significantly to the humanitarian crisis is Nicolás Maduro, the extremist left-wing dictator from Venezuela. Over the past eleven years, he has presided over an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in South America; the world’s most oil-rich nation has been plunged into a devastating financial crisis under his rule.
Amid economic collapse, Maduro and his associates are believed to have plundered the country’s wealth. His administration has been responsible for violent suppression of opposition, including substantiated allegations of crimes against humanity by the United Nations. In addition, charges of election fraud and autocratic rule have cast a dark shadow over his leadership.
Maduro’s rule has forced nearly a quarter of his country’s populace, amounting to almost 8 million people, to evacuate Venezuela over the last decade. The exodus includes infants and young children who have endured the grueling journey through the perilous Darien jungle spanning Colombia and Panama, aiming for the U.S. Many of these children show signs of severe malnutrition, a testament to the conditions they left behind in Venezuela.
Another modern-day ‘Herod’ who has wreaked havoc, although not an elected official, is Haiti’s predominant gang leader, Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier. He is widely viewed as Haiti’s de facto ruler, wielding absolute authority over the capital, Port-au-Prince, and a significant portion of the rest of the country.
Under Cherizier’s reign, the country has been marred by escalating violence, resulting in over 4,000 deaths as per U.N. reports. Ransom abductions and the seizure of essential resources like food, medicine, and fuel have led to an almost complete shutdown of Haiti’s fragile economy. This situation has resulted in over 700,000 people becoming homeless and displaced within their own country.
Another disheartening aspect of Cherizier’s rule is the influence on Haiti’s youth. Children are increasingly drawn into gangs and makeup about half of their members. The increase in sexual violence against girls, reportedly rising by 1000% this year, adds even more darkness to the human rights crisis in Haiti.
The totalitarian regime of Cuba also features on the list of ‘Herods’. The government’s potent blend of oppression and ideological extremism has led to a significant population exodus, with about a tenth of the island’s inhabitants leaving between 2022 and 2023, and potentially a similar proportion in the subsequent year.
Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega also mirrors the cruel actions of King Herod. Not only has he expelled hundreds of thousands of his people from their homeland (over 5% of his population since 2018), but he has also stripped them of their citizenship, rendering them stateless refugees.
My final ‘Herod’ bears a closer-to-home relevance for observers in the U.S. Incoming President Donald Trump, identified for his derailment of a reform bill that could have facilitated much-needed improvements to the dysfunctional American immigration system.
Years pass, rulers change, but the cruel specter of King Herod appears to haunt us still through modern leaders who demonstrate a comparable disregard for human welfare. These individuals, through their harmful policies and actions, have displaced millions from their homes and forced them into perilous migration.
The story of baby Jesus fleeing the wrath of Herod echoes through the ages, a stark reminder that history often repeats itself in cruel and unfortunate ways. The migrant crisis we witness today is a consequence of the actions of leaders who, like King Herod, have disregarded the rights and wellbeing of their people.
In future, these leaders will be remembered much like King Herod himself – notorious rulers who inflicted immense suffering on their subjects. As the nativity story is recollected each Christmas, it is a sobering moment to reflect upon the modern-day parallels and the continuous struggle of the displaced for safety and sanctuary.