This topic is far from clear-cut. We as Christians have the clear and INDIVIDUAL Biblical mandate to care for the orphan and foreigner, yet we have the responsibility, according to the Bible, to submit to our authorities and follow the law. NOT following the law would make one LAWLESS, which is a title given to the anti-Christ in 2nd Thessalonians 2 and a synonym for sin (1st John 3:4). The only time shirking the law is permissible in scripture is when it directly violates our commission to preach the Gospel (Acts 5: 40-42).
With that said, the idea or the policy of nations, borders, walls, and state and national sovereignty aren’t exactly Biblical no-no’s. These facts of societies are as old as societies themselves, and our individual obligation to care for the immigrant is not at all counterintuitive to having rules and regulations for citizenship. The argument that having a safe process to admit immigrants into the U.S is anti-Bible and anti-Christ is short-sighted and ignorant. Still however, we can’t forget that we DO each have a Biblical command to care for the immigrant in our land. (Isaiah 21:14, Jeremiah 22:3, Leviticus 19: 33-34)
Sanctuary Cities & Illegal Immigrants So called “sanctuary cities,” or cities that refuse to detain illegal alien criminals, are in direct defiance of federal law. This is illegal, protecting crimes and illegal activity is wrong, and not cooperating with law enforcement like ICE, is rebellious and it endangers communities. According to a variety of data, including the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) & FBI records, sanctuary cities lead the pack in most crime categories nationally, and they’re poised to welcome more criminal actors if they continue to refuse to uphold federal law.
Illegal Immigrants – It’s certainly not wrong to have compassion for immigrants, but it must be stated with all due candidness that an immigrant here illegally is violating the law, hence the term ILLEGAL alien. There are many people who have legally applied for and were granted asylum or citizenship in the United States. This is our process much like most countries in the world have a process. Sweden, for instance, has a highly restrictive immigration process. They decided in recent years, after waves of immigrants poured into their country virtually unchecked from North Africa and elsewhere, that they needed a stricter policy, which they have implemented.
With that said, America is STILL among the most welcoming countries to immigrants in the world. There are several ways to obtain citizenship, like applying and being approved for citizenship, applying and being approved for asylum, obtaining a green card, or being sponsored by a relative. As you can see in the chart below, provided by data collected by the United Nations, nearly 50 million migrants account for 15% of the American population as of 2017.
Collateral Damage – Drugs, Trafficking & Violence Open borders, like that at our Southwest border with Mexico, come with certain and almost inevitable consequences. Below is a roundup of just some of the things and people collected by CBP in 2018.
Note* this list only factors items and people apprehended, NOT the paraphernalia and actors that were not seized.
FY 2018 – Seized by Southwest Border Patrol Agents
-1.1M lbs of marijuana -283,000 lbs of cocaine -248,000 lbs of meth -6,500 lbs of heroin -2,500 lbs of fentanyl -$106M in unreported currency -2,500 firearms -223,000 rounds of ammunition -808 gang members apprehended (i.e. MS-13)
Further, similar records provided by the CBP, ICE, & the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, note that as much as 70% of the people crossing the southwest border are victims of violence. This undoubtably plays into the tragedy of human trafficking, which is a marked problem nationally and by way of our southern border. About 60,000 people are trafficked in the U.S annually and according to government data on illegal immigration, at least 10% of that number is linked to illegal border crossings.
Collateral Damage – Cost The Federation for American Immigration Tax Reform estimated in a 2017 study that Illegal Immigrants cost American taxpayers about $116B per year. That’s a total national cost of $135B minus a total tax contribution from illegals of $19B. Further, if you count the cost (which is roughly $31,000 per year per inmate) of incarcerated illegal immigrants, which total about 25% of all inmates in America, according to the Department of Homeland Security, the cost is much higher.
But what about "kids in cages?" The Clinton era regulation of separating illegal alien children at our southwest border, which was upheld by the Bush and Obama administrations, and most recently amended under the Trump administration, had long been enforced as a safety mechanism. With an alarmingly high amout of trafficked children flowing across the border, or children not accompanied by either parent, many kids were and are placed under the care of hired "coyotes." With this in mind, separating kids from their non legal guardians for a period of time was actually a good thing. This, of course, was not the portrait we heard from the American news media two years ago.
Democrats on Immigration – "No Comment on Securing US borders… We continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform… will work to ensure that all Americans, regardless of immigration status, have access to quality healthcare.” Democratic Party Platform
Republicans on Immigration – “To keep our people safe, we must secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws, and properly screen refugees and other immigrants entering from any country.” Republican Party Platform
JF D'Orsie - Communications Director