There are some true things about immigration in America. 1 – We are a nation of immigrants, both legal and without papers (some would say illegal). 2 – We have had a crisis at our northern and southern borders for decades. Remember, many of the 9/11 terrorists got here via Canada. 3 – The crisis has grown to a dangerous level, with more and more people trying to find safety in this country. 4 – There are some people who are dangerous criminals trying (and succeeding) to cross the borders illegally. Their numbers are few, but the danger is still real. 5 – We should not have zero immigration, nor should we have open borders. 6 – Seeking asylum based on life-threatening circumstances is legally protected. There may be more, but this is all that space allows.
The process to gain entry, much less citizenship, is a long and difficult one that could, many immigration specialists believe, be improved. This thought is not about that – I want to think about what a Christian or faith-based response to immigration should be. And to be fair, there are many views about what this response might be based on theology, political bias, and one’s personal biases. This is my idea alone. I try to consider this from a Jesus point of view, but it is just a guess.
Jesus and His family were illegal immigrants who were forced into seeking asylum in Egypt. King Herod wanted to wipe out the possible threat of a usurper being born in his kingdom, so he sent soldiers to kill every child – not just boys, because Herod was a supervillain – under 2 years of age. The holy family crossed the border to seek relative safety, and then, according to the Gospel of Matthew, moved north to Nazareth instead of returning to Bethlehem. To be fair, borders then were different from borders now, but the situation was similar to families coming from Central and South America – Mary and Joseph would do anything to save their son’s life.
When the previous administration was separating young children and infants from their parents, many of us voiced our opposition to what was purely an act of cruelty. Some citizens chalked this up to being anti-Trump, which was not the reason. As Christians, we need to care about the safety of our neighbors, and we need to speak out against cruelty. The huge majority of people trying to enter America are running for their lives; a faith-based response should be to cherish those lives and figure out how to treat them all humanely. We also need to support ways to protect people on this side of the border, so anyone coming here should be vetted. Being a person of faith does not mean that anything goes wrong; it also does not give us the right to allow people to be mistreated.
Regardless of political party or personal bias, any person of faith who agrees to shoot people trying to cross the border or put razor wire in the river to keep them out is not, in truth, a person who believes in God. Acts of cruelty are not condoned by God. Period. Every religion believes in doing to others as you would have them do to you, so unless you are a psychopath, you would not do anything to harm innocent, desperate people. Unfortunately, there seem to be a lot of psychopaths claiming to be believers. They will get their reward. The rest of us need to put our faith where our mouths are.
Prayer – Holy God, forgive us for putting You out of the equation when we make decisions that impact other people’s lives. Save us from our selfishness. Amen.
Today’s art is “Holy Family Icon” by Kelly Latimore.