As twenty-eighteen comes to an end we hope to leave behind all the tragedies and controversies that came with this year. Between gun violence, natural disasters and immigration concerns twenty-eighteen has been a rough year for the world and the United States in particular. Immigration has been a hot topic in past years, however, now that Trump is in office the debate has skyrocketed. It is believed that under the Trump administration immigration policies are only getting stricter as many face deportation and detainment upon entering the country. While immigration can lead to overcrowding and can potentially let harmful individuals into our country, immigrants should still be welcomed into the United States as opposed to being detained and deported because from a moral standpoint it is the right things to do “and you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” Who are we, as Christians, to deny the rights and freedoms of another when that is only something that God should have power to. The Church makes efforts to assist both legal and illegal immigrants considering we were all once immigrants fleeing from Egypt.
First, immigrants should be welcomed into the United States because as moral human beings we are not given the right to deny anyone the right to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. America was built on the ideas that everyone should have the access to these principles and that belief should still be upheld today. The entire creation of the United States was built upon the idea of creating a new land to get away from a overbearing and unfair ruler and this is still relevant for many people around the world. We searched for freedom and we got it so why are we turning a cold shoulder to anyone else who wishes to have this freedom. The logic that it was only acceptable for white Englishmen to flee their homeland hundreds of years ago is . Immigration today is nothing similar to that and humans across the globe are residing in their homelands in hope for something better. Those in other countries who immigrate to the United State do not do so in hopes that they will take a “white man’s job”, instead it is more likely they are living in unbearable conditions or they want a much better opportunity for them and their families. From a moral perspective we, as Americans, are denying basic human rights to many when we deny access into our country.
As said, the United States government is also placing immigrants in detainment as well as deporting them out of the country. This should also be unacceptable because they stick them in poor conditions and situations. Families are being separated for months at a time while being detained in camps similar to concentration camps. These prison-like camps are holding people by force simply because of who they are. This is immoral and has played out in history before.
In Exodus, it is said more than once that we are not to mistreat or oppress foreigners because we were once foreigners from Egypt. Even though hundreds of years have passed we all still stem from immigrant families. America is known as the melting pot of the world for that specific reason; we are home to more immigrants than anywhere else. This country was founded on immigration and as a country we have experienced mass immigration periods more than once. For example, millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1880 and 1950. This was during a time that America accepted immigrants which helped established culture and created a bigger economy along the eastern coast. During this time people were not required to have visas or passports in order to get into the country. In fact they could enter the United States within a matter of hours. This American immigration law opened the gates to a lot of cultures and gave everyone the option to fulfill their “American Dream”. Reasons such as demographic, economic and political disturbances drove people from their homelands to come to the United States in search for a better lifestyle. This movement of millions of people with different cultural backgrounds, classes and countries was embraced in our history. The real question is, why is it not being embraced now when the people who want to immigrate here need it more than ever.
Secondly as Christians, we have to be loving and accepting of all people and spread the gospel. By not allowing people into this country, it goes against some of our basic Christian beliefs. We are not given the right to deny people of their basic human rights regarding happiness and freedom. This is another reason as to why immigration policies in the United States should be handled in a different manner. There is a reason as to why immigrants from Mexico try over and over again to come to the United States; because life at home is insufficient. Those who make it to the United States and are deported reattempt their journey in hopes for a better future for their families. These people drop everything in their homeland and risk everything for the slim chance that they will make it into the country we take for granted. It not uncommon for a typical American to criticize the average working immigrant for being “lazy” but the truth is they put in work just to remain afloat even in a country such as the United States. Immigration is inevitable and it will either happen legally or illegally. In 2000, the US population that was foreign born surpassed ten percent with nearly half of the recent US population growth coming from new immigrants alone. Immigrants, typically ones who are illegal, will take the jobs that nobody else wants in order to help provide for them and their families. In 2012, unauthorized immigrants made up 5% of America's workforce when it came to those who were working or actively looking for work. This means that 8 million unauthorized immigrants were made part of the United States workforce. Today, that number has only gotten higher due to the higher population coming across all borders. It is inhumane to turn away someone who is doing what they can to better themselves. A large share of illegal immigrants are long term residents, in 2014 a study was done showcasing that 66% of adult immigrants had been in the United States for over a decade.
Currently, the United States is dealing with caravans coming up from Central and South America full of immigrants trying to flee their own countries due to poverty and economic state. These are acceptable reasons as to why people would flee from their homeland. This was not a choice but a situation they were thrown in to and are now trying to find a solution. We, as a country, are the closest to them geographically so we should be the first to step in and help just like we would with any other part of the world, however, this is not the case. Instead, the government has tightened the policies for immigration and is forcing people into detention camps as well as turning them away when they have nothing to go back to.
The government and many others within the United States are nervous that immigrants will cause overcrowdedness. This may potentially be true, although in the Bible it says in Deuteronomy 26:5 that “[we] shall declare before the LORD [our] God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.” Here in scripture it explains that as a people we come from wanderers; people who traveled on land that was not their own but still created a nation that was plentiful and strong. This same principle can still be applied today if we accept the opportunity to open our arms to those who need welcoming into our country for not only safety reason but so they may experience the happiness we as do. It is our Christian duty to lead people to Christ and how else do we expect these people to see Christ in us if we deny them and their basic human rights.
Third, immigration is a very tricky and long process which can take up to year if done legally and through the United States government. The waiting is backed up for many years and even those who apply now for a green card may not legally be allowed into the United States for at least the next five to even ten years. However, while people wait for permissible access into our country we as Christians and as a church should offer the helping hand to our brother nation. More than likely, those who plan on immigrating into the United States do so to get away from hardship within their own country which they will be stuck in while waiting for their acceptance letter into our country. This alone is devastating and Heyer, the author of Kinship Across Borders, believes that should not accuse undocumented immigrants but rather highlight the sinful ideological blinders that limit the Christian Americans ability to act hospitable to immigrants. Considering the relationship we have with surrounding countries in geographical, political and economic terms she goes on to write, “US citizen may be willfully negligent of or indirectly responsible for the conditions that give rise to undocumented migration across their borders.” We call ourselves Christians and give our lives to God but we are ignore all the cries for help right outside our own border. If we cannot help those closest to use geographically we are limiting ourselves to the idea that help is only needed beyond seas and not on the home front. It is as if there is some unspoken belief that mission work overseas is much more appreciated and needed as opposed to those who surround our borders. We are only human which means we are susceptible to outside influences and this is where we learn to prioritize our good deeds and who they may affect. However, as Christians it is our duty to lend a helping hand to those in need including immigrants. Deuteronomy 27:19 says, “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” If we are as Christian and God fearing as we preach to be then there should be more initiative to help those in need like immigrants. It is as simple as donating clothes and food to families who are not yet able to receive an American lifestyle but have already abandoned their homes. Building shelter or safe spaces for those who need it because they have left everything behind why they wait in order to be let in to the country. Or, providing counseling and worship services to them during this time of struggle and need.
When looking at this issue from an opposing view it is fairly easy to see why so many disagree with the ideas of letting foreigners into our homeland in such a rapid movement. From a Christian standpoint, allowing immigrants in would be the right thing to do to some degree, but from an economical and safety standpoint, it is not good for any country in the current state of the world. Economically, the United States is struggling to support those within their own country already. We as a country have no quite yet learned how to prioritize the needs of those that we currently host. This could also be seen as an issue because of all the havoc wrecking the world right now. When it comes to security and safety this may be seen as a fair issue strictly because as we come to the end times it seems that violence among brethren runs high. We have terrorists who live among us in all races and letting immigrants into our country in mass quantities could easily alarm people and have them living in an uneasy state of mind.
Although, not everyone has this train of thought. From a more optimistic and supportive view, many different states in America believe in letting immigrants into the United States “either for humanitarian reasons and in recognition of individual rights, as in asylum-seeking and family reunification of labor migrants or because the states sheer incapacity to keep migrants out, as an illegal immigration.”
Thus, we as humans, American and Christians should be more open minded about immigration because it is not about the dramatic change in life after the get to the United States but their migration journey as a whole. Those who choose to take on legal immigration understand that it does not happen overnight and that they are put on a waitlist for happiness and freedom. For those who choose to migrant illegally, they understand that there is more in the world for them than the situations and tragedies that await them in their own homeland. Both of these people understand the circumstances and choose to take on this journey anyway and we should be more mindful about them and all that they may encounter on this journey. We, as Christ followers, understand this it is not our place to deny the rights of basic human needs to those who are actively working to achieve a better lifestyle. Even though, some may be skeptical because of financial and safety risks this is still something that should be considered by everyone who calls themselves a Christian. By Christian ethics we are faced with the choice of choosing to help these people or not. It is fairly simple and this is something that can be done individually or with the Church as a whole. We were sent to this earth to preach the word of God and put His words into action so this immigration debate should not be up for discussion.