We just got back from vacation to see our oldest son, Wesley, his wife, Lauryn and our sweet granddaughter, Violet. Wesley is in the Air Force, currently stationed in Dayton, Ohio.
Our flight to Dayton took us through the hub of Chicago. We decided to make a visit while there, spending two nights. We had never been to Chicago.
We went downtown, went up in the Willis (formerly Sears) tower, ate deep dish pizza and took an ‘architectural boat tour’ on the Chicago River. Here the guide told the story of the unique buildings as the boat went past. One of those buildings, surprisingly, was a Trump tower. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city. I didn’t know Trump had such a real-estate presence in Chicago.
When we were done with the tour and started walking, we noticed that a crowd had gathered at the base of the Trump tower. They were holding signs and there was police presence around. It was a protest against the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids that were happening in Chicago at the time.
It brought to my mind the larger issue of illegal immigration. In these comments I realize that these are opinions and are open to debate, but I think I should share them. There seems to be a lack of clear thinking on the topic, expecially in the church.
1. If there was consistent governance on this issue, tough law-enforcement measures would be less necessary.
I think I am a compassionate person. I sympathize with the difficulties of people who want a better life and are desperate to support their families. There is that, but also the reality that nations and governments have a God-given right to govern. They have a right to secure their borders. A nation with a porous border–which the U.S. had under the Biden administration–voluntarily forfeits the right to govern. It no longer knows who is entering the county because it has voluntarily given up its right to know. We don’t get to know the background of people entering our country, what criminal record they might have, or what they are bringing with them when they cross the border.
The failure to govern here has real consequences that hurts real people.
I believe that the immigration policy (of lack of one) under the Biden administration was incompetent and immoral. It didn’t govern the border. It was indulgent, and made the whole issue a lot more difficult to deal with. When there is lax enforcement or no enforcement, word gets around and the problem only gets worse. The toughness of enforcement that is presently required would not have been needed if there had been patterned, consistent governance on this issue in the past.
2. The evangelical church seems to avoid hard, honest, biblical thinking about this issue.
The evangelical church seems soft and indulgent here. It does well on other issues, not so well on this one.
There are those that focus on verses like Leviticus 19:34, “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself…” Yes, that is scripture and we must do it. If we meet someone in basic human need we should help that person as best we can (with wisdom) regardless of their situation.
But there are other scriptures and other considerations. Compassion toward the alien or toward the stranger does not mean turning a blind eye to the negatives of mass illegal immigration. Those who suffer from the consequences of illegal immigration are our neighbors too.
Think of the border communities, once secure, but are now on edge. People who live near the border have less peace of mind than they used to. Aren’t they worthy of our compassion? Christianity can both be humane toward individuals seeking a better life and humane toward those hurt by lax immigration policy. Here, we should put into practice “Love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 19:19) which Jesus said was the second greatest commandment. Where is the love for those in border communities? Those of us who do not suffer directly from the effects of illegal immigration should have compassion for those who do. But from some of the statements I hear from the church, it seems they want to cover their eyes to this. They have no concern for those hurt by this mass lawbreaking. It is the height of selfishness to for someone to value-signal (“Look at how compassionate I am on illegal immigration”) while it costs them nothing and they blissfully let the consequences fall on others.
Our Christian faith should have a concern for the alien and a concern for those who suffer from mass lawbreaking. This dual concern should inform both our personal faith and our public policy.
I’ve shared these thoughts in an email to church leaders. No response was received.
Here is one example of the harm caused by mass illegal immigration. It came to me from an extremely reliable source. It is just one example of how indulgence on illegal immigration is far from compassion–it is the opposite.
A young woman in a rehab was recovering from drug addiction but had a second major problem: getting her identity back. At an earlier time, when she was in the midst of her addiction and desperate for a fix, she sold her social security number to a crooked broker who, in turn, sold it to an illegal alien. Apparently a false-document industry arose to meet the need of illegal immigration. It’s evil market dynamics. If there hadn’t been so much illegal immigration, there would not have been the industry in false IDs that has arisen to put temptation before this vulnerable woman so easily. Shouldn’t we be concerned about her? Illegal activity is not without consequences. It is not a victimless crime.
We need a Christianity that can encompass both compassion for the stranger and a love for neighbor big enough to want the same security for them that we would want for ourselves.
Perhaps Christians can learn something from a secular source here. Some years ago, Alice and I took a trip to New York City. Part of this was a ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Ellis Island is the famous, historic, immigration center. From 1892-1954 it was a first stop for immigrant processing. There, immigration was handled with both carefulness and compassion. There were health screenings. There were questions. There were concerns about past criminal activity of the individuals–we didn’t want criminals. Yes, some people were sent back, but it was a small percentage. There was concern for both the immigrant and society. And because they had this combination, Ellis Island is seen as one of America’s finest hours, a shining light in our history. It was immigration done right. And I believe it was an example of biblical righteousness that Christians can learn from.
Let’s put away the indulgence and virtue-signaling and replace it with compassion and concern for the common good.