Where Should Christians Stand on Partisan Immigration Law?
Pro-immigration protest. Photo courtesy of Nitish Meena on Unsplash.
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
In his attempt to draw attention to the dysfunction in American immigration policy, Florida Governor Ron Desantis sent planeloads of migrants to open-immigration policy states; most notably to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, which has culminated in a lawsuit filed by the migrants.
When fifty migrants landed in Martha’s Vineyard claiming that Desantis promised them jobs and homes, the locals, as well as the immigrants, voiced frustration with the Republican governor’s misdirection. Desantis recently threatened Delaware with the same retribution, but this plane has yet to arrive. The gaffe evinced that migrants are merely pawns to politicians on both sides of the spectrum.
States like New York profess their status as “sanctuary states” for immigrants regardless of their legal status, but the aid these immigrants have been promised is replaced by condemnation and vilification toward Republican policy. Desantis and many American politicians are using this crisis to promote their agenda rather than offer solutions.
Despite Scripture encouraging compassion toward “foreigners and exiles,” partisanship has wormed its way into Christian circles as well. Christians must ask themselves if Scripture informs their views on immigration or partisan allegiance.
My brother, Tobie Chau, is a second generation Asian-American. Growing up in the church in America, we have frequently discussed the Christian narrative surrounding non-American citizens and its effect on his identity in this realm.
“I feel like [Americans] view immigrants as an annoyance without taking time for empathy. They view them as numbers,” said Chau. “I think America treats the situation logically, which isn’t exactly Christian. I understand that America can’t just let everyone in; but– technically speaking — in a perfect world, we are supposed to help others before we help ourselves.”
The depiction of immigrants in the current American political discourse dehumanizes them. We can’t “rescue” everyone, as much as Republicans and Democrats might want to deny it. However, as Christians, the ethical solution is not to simply approach the conundrum from a reductionist, purely partisan standpoint. We can discuss immigration from a crime and development standpoint, but it will never change the fact that every immigrant (legal or not) is a purposeful creation.
In the biblical text, the Israelites migrated frequently and were typically received poorly. Still, whenever God’s people were welcomed and provided for by their host nation, social and economic flourishing followed.
In Genesis, adopting Israel into Egyptian society brought brilliant social and economic flourishing to the nation and undoubtedly contributed to their legacy as one of history’s greatest ancient civilizations despite differences in culture and ideology.
Unfortunately, a flourishing Egypt began to fear the overwhelming presence of the Israelites. In their efforts to control the Hebrew population, the Jews were relegated to poverty and unskilled labor.
“I think we use [migrants] for cheap labor and put them in dangerous working conditions, and they can’t say a thing about it,” said Anthony Luciano, 21-year-old union worker, about the treatment of immigrants with unclear legal status in the labor market. Luciano is an electrician in Long Island who has worked with non-citizens and immigrants in his field, observing the difference between their opportunities and his own.
Immigrants, including those transported to Martha’s Vineyard, are often promised jobs but never guaranteed life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness — most likely the very thing they are here searching for.
In the Bible, Ruth, a widowed migrant who worked in landowner Boaz’s field, cared for her Israelite mother-in-law and is one of the only women mentioned in Christ’s genealogy (Matthew 1:5). Notice that Ruth did not simply “pull herself up by the bootstraps” and achieve the “Israelite Dream.” Boaz provided her with extra resources on top of what she earned herself. Socially and economically, Ruth and Israel had a mutually beneficial relationship based on the belief that they all deserved to thrive.
As Christians — not as Republicans or Democrats, not even as citizens or non-citizens — we must ask: what is the ethical solution? Partisan principles have consistently failed to provide that answer and, in doing so, prove that policy without empathy is entirely ineffective.
Mandie-Beth Chau is a freshman studying Journalism, Culture and Society.