Foundational Thinking About Immigration
Photo by Greg Bulla (Unsplash)
According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans cited immigration as the most important problem facing our country. I don’t know anyone, no matter where they stand on how to solve the immigration issue, who doesn’t think that what we are facing right now is a mess for everyone concerned. The key concern has to do with illegal immigration. Losing control of our borders. And no one wants to lose control.
And for obvious reasons.
In 2023 alone, U.S. Border Patrol reported more than 2.4 million encounters with migrants on the Mexican border. Texas has a backlog of nearly half-a-million immigration cases in its court system.
Like any other country, we have limited resources available to us to care for those who are within our borders. A limited number of jobs, limited housing, limited... everything. It doesn’t serve anyone to let people come only to have them go hungry or find themselves homeless or unemployed.
We also want to make sure that no one enters our country who is fleeing law enforcement in their own country. We don’t want to be a place where people come to escape justice. There isn’t a country on the planet that doesn’t have a vested interest in a secure border and a way of processing those who want to cross it.
Christians are particularly torn about this issue, because while they know they should be concerned about illegal immigration, they also acknowledge a responsibility to care for those who are wanting to come – or at least to listen to why they want to come – particularly if they are refugees. Meaning, if they are fleeing suffering or persecution, such as for their Christian faith.
Christians also have a heart for how the enforcement of border control is handled. No one wants to see children suffer nor families separated. Whether it’s processing someone for citizenship or deporting them, there should be compassion.
The Bible agrees.
First, there’s the rich deposit of verses that speak to the people of Israel in the Old Testament when they were immigrants, and how they should, in turn, treat others in the same situation. In other words, the Golden Rule (do to others what you would have them do to you) is explicitly laid out by God before the people of Israel.
Have empathy.
You were once foreigners and immigrants, too.
Here’s a sampling of that reminder:
“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21, NLT)
“You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 23:9, NLT)
“Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34, NLT)
Jesus continued this sentiment in His famed “the sheep and the goats” message, adding “strangers” to the list of those who when cared for, was the same as caring for Him. And lest we forget, Jesus was an immigrant. Many forget that just after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary were forced to flee to Egypt with Him for two years, living as strangers (foreigners) in that land.
No matter how much people who follow Christ can differ on hammering out the specifics of immigration reform or protecting our borders, caring for the stranger, the alien, the foreigner, is a deeply biblical idea.
So let us unite around at least two things:
First, let us agree that we are to care about the stranger. They are to be treated with dignity. They matter to God; therefore they should matter to us. They are human beings, made in the image of God.
Second, let us agree that we must have compassion and security, and that those two things can and must coexist. Those of us who follow Christ should say to our nation that we must work to resolve the tension between the value of compassion for the stranger and the security for our citizens. For the Christian, it can’t be an either-or—it must be a both-and. We have to be the ones who stand up and say, “However you do it, it has to achieve both goals: security and compassion, compassion and security.”
I know, this issue is about more than a border. Immigration is a multi-faceted challenge. And the issues go further than just security. It’s not just about being kind and letting everybody in, or about being mean and kicking everybody out.
But for the Christ follower, we do have some foundational values to guide us.
James Emery White