the sojourner

My position on ILLEGAL immigration has sparked some interesting exchanges. Some of them have occurred online and some in person. Generally, the remarks concerning my previous post fall into two categories: political and spiritual. Depending on whom I’ve spoken to, I am either a “coconut� (brown on the outside, white on the inside), a conservative, a “sell-out,� not a “real� believer and in need of redemption or to some people, all of the above. Everyone who is pro-ILLEGAL immigrants and a follower of Jesus always quotes the Old Testament to prove their point.

In the end, they are all wrong.

ILLEGAL immigrants are not guests or vital to the US economy. They use more services than they pay back. They do not deserve special rights, consideration, free education, in-state tuition or any privilege enjoyed by citizens and legal immigrants.

Period.

However, my family has taken immigrants into our home to assist them through the process of acquiring legal residency. If the process didn’t work out in their favor, they went home. My wife has organized English classes and citizenship classes. My mom and dad adopted cousins (whose parents had died) from Mexico for the chance to live in America. I encouraged immigrants to stop breaking the law, to learn English, to become legal immigrants and to assimilate. As a follower, I do not wear colored ribbons, watch movies “in their honor� or march in rallies to feel good about myself.

I take action.

I think Nicolas Nelson’s questions are worth reading. You’ll find his entire comments on my blog dated April 7th. Here are some excerpts with remarks in italics.

Nelson – I love the verses Eric [Devine] alludes to, and do my level best to live them out. But “all the verses that God gave to Israel concerning the foreigner� cover much more than His command that we “love those who are aliens� (Deuteronomy 10:18-19). But what are we to do with Nehemiah 13:23ff, and Ezra 10:2-11ff? Just pointing out that although God constantly and consistently emphasizes justice and mercy must be shown to aliens and strangers among us, there are times when aliens who ought not have been in our midst in the first place must be sent away.

Octavio – I agree. If ILLEGAL immigrants harm our culture, economy and the safety of our communities then wouldn’t the kind thing to do be to change the situation?

Nelson’s next remarks really hit the nail on the head.

Nelson: Okay, another example of discrete issues tangled up in the “illegal immigration� Gordian knot…“[Quoting Octavio]…don’t expect the US Government to fulfill your moral obligations. The government is not the church nor should it do the acts of charities that are required of the members of the church. The problem I have with followers who want amnesty and social services for illegal immigrants is that they want to feel morally superior about helping illegal immigrants without actually lifting a finger.� Is wanting social services (education, healthcare, even welfare) for illegal immigrants necessarily an abdication of personal responsibility?

Octavio – If you’re pro-ILLEGAL immigrants, what do you actually do for them?

How common is this attitude? (I have no idea, but I respect O’s guess) Will refusing those social services “turn up the heat� on the abdicators, so that they will finally get personally involved? What is the best way to “help� illegal immigrants, anyway? Is it to overlook their trespass and make them comfortable as if they were here rightfully? Forgive their trespass… and make those who immigrated lawfully wonder why they went through all the bother?

Octavio – What is the best way to help ILLEGAL immigrants…both politically and spiritually?

(a). Why make anyone go through all the bother– are we managing immigration processes wisely, justly, efficiently?

Octavio – Isn’t this another problem we create by allowing ILLEGAL immigrants amnesty?

(b). Is a national border a legitimate boundary we ought to steward at all? What about a business or school boundary? Your own home?

Octavio – Are there any kind of people who should not be allowed into our country?

(c). How should we discern between basic human needs (“rights�) like 9-1-1 response and emergency medical care, vs. privileges of citizenship or residency, e.g. in-state tuition and Section 8 housing eligibility?

Octavio – The mayor of LA has reopened the Office of Immigration to help any immigrant, regardless of status to receive all the social benefits they can get. Is it appropriate to take money from citizens and legal immigrants to pay for the services that ILLEGAL immigrants consume? At the federal level, On Saturday, May 14th, the Senate voted to allow ILLEGAL immigrants to collect the Social Security benefits based on past ILLEGAL employment. Does this make economic and moral sense?

Even at the border, the situation could get complicated. Denied detaining authority, the “up to� 6000 National Guardsmen stationed at the desert border will be little more than Wal-Mart greeters. Mexico has warned that it would file lawsuits in US courts if the National Guard actually tried to guard our nation from invasion.

I’m wondering — ILLEGAL entrance into a sovereign nation, use of stolen identities, driving without a license, driving without auto insurance, ILLEGAL employment, forgery (cashing checks, processing legal other documents), etc., etc. — how many crimes do you have to commit before you are a criminal?

How can we help ILLEGAL immigrants politically?
How can we help ILLEGAL immigrants spiritually?