Thread on accountability and forgiveness : I have a unique perspective on this. I used to be a Border Patrol agent. I used to enforce racist, brutal policies aimed at Black and brown migrants. It took me many years and a serious suicide attempt to come to terms with my actions.1)

2) My anger during those years was aimed at everyone but myself. It’s only when I took responsibility for my own actions, accepted what I had done and what it did to others than I could truly heal. You see, accountability isn’t just about the victims getting justice. It’s about

3) offenders seeing their wrongs. Admitting their failures and listening to those they’ve harmed. This brings me to forgiveness. I ask every person I meet who has been affected by our immigration policies for forgiveness. I ask this because my actions helped create this system.

4) I ask this knowing full well I may not receive it. In fact, I have never had one person say they forgive me. At first, this upset me. But then I realized that the act of asking for forgiveness is the key. When you ask, you are admitting your wrongs. You are putting your soul

5) yourself in their hands. This gives victim’s control, it gives them power. Submitting yourself for forgiveness to those you’ve harmed is powerful not just for the ones asking for it, but for the ones it is asked from. That is what leads to healing. That is what

6) leads to not repeating history. So you see, you cannot simply move on. You must be accountable to the victims and to yourself before any forgiveness comes, and it may never come. You have to understand that and accept it.