September 2008

 

IMMIGRATION REFLECTIONS

 

Oliver R. Phillips

 

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
-- Emma Lazarus

 

The foundational response to all crises facing the church and community must be love. This love for God’s creation, truly understood, must probe the meaning of suffering and provoke a response that seeks to alleviate such suffering and to help remedy the causes.

 

Confronted by the politically charged debate about undocumented persons tempts the church community to become embroiled in the legal ramifications of decisions that are being made to bring about a political solution to the problem. This however, should be secondary to the more pressing primary issue which is the biblical and theological mandate to respond through a process that is buoyed by sacred texts. The topic of immigration should be treated from a human rights perspective with a diminished regard to national security, cultural identity, economic impact, or governmental jurisdiction. As a faith community we can empower this issue with either license to polarize us, or a mandate to enrich us.

 

The Hebrew texts are about immigration. From the patriarch Abraham to the prophets, it is a narrative of nomadic undertones and how God expected God’s nation to be treated by the host nations they inhabited. In most cases they were the present day undocumented persons. Their existence and longevity as God’s remnant rested solely on the hospitality of the host nation. If one were to follow the people of Israel it would be clear that the common thread that is weaved from all the host nations was God’s “preferential option for the poor.” God expected that the poor, lonely, marginalized, neglected, expelled, people be respected as human beings with absolutely no contingencies pertaining to the causes of their present situation.

 

Biblical Background on Immigration

1. The narrative accounts of Joseph, Ruth, and Daniel are detailed with the responses of the host country to those who were forced to leave their homeland in search of a better livelihood.
2. Moses and David were both forced to leave their country to find residence in a place where their human rights could be allowed to flourish. Their existence depended on the hospitality of their hosts. “I have become a sojourner in a foreign land” (Exodus 2:22).
3. Sojourners (immigrants) qualified for the “gleaning laws” which stipulated that harvesters leave the edges of their land untouched so that the needy could gather food (Lev. 19:10; 23:22; Deut. 24:19-22).
4. The prophets berated the people who did not accept the responsibility to care for the sojourners in their midst. (Jer. 22:3; Ezek. 22:7, 29; Mal. 3:5; cf. Ps. 94:6).
5. Israel was constantly reminded not to forget their own experience as immigrants, and consequently was reminded not to mistreat the immigrant in their land. (Ex. 22:20; 23:9). God calls them “aliens and my tenants (Lev. 25:23).
6. Sojourners (immigrants) were permitted to participate in the Sabbath, the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-30), the Passover (Ex. 12:48-49; Num. 9:14), the Feast of Weeks (Deut. 16:11), the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 16:14), and First fruits (Deut. 26:11).
7. Sojourners were granted forgiveness for unintentional sin (Num. 15:27-29), and ready access to the cities of refuge (Num. 35:15).
8. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph became immigrants in Egypt until the angel informed the family that Herod had died (Matt. 2:19-21).
9. In Jesus’ homily about the final judgment he lumps the stranger (immigrant) with the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned. All are included as “the least of these brothers of mine.” (Matt. 25:31-46)

Lessons from the Old Testament

• The people of God were constantly crossing national boundaries.
• God demonstrated a profound love for the needy and disenfranchised.
• The Old Testament texts call both host and guest to exercise hospitality, grace, and faith toward political and economic solutions.

Lessons from the New Testament

• Jesus exemplified proactive consideration for the marginalized in society i.e. the outsiders.
• All Christians are “aliens and strangers” in this world because of our faith. 

Recommendations:

1. Denounce and oppose the rise of insensitive reactions against undocumented immigrants, and to support any and all efforts to build bridges.
2. Provide pastoral care and crisis intervention to those who are undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers.
3. Provide technical and financial assistance to local churches in compassionate ministry with undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers.
4. Monitor immigration policies and practices in order to ensure fair and adequate process in regard to asylum petitions, judicial review, refugee resettlement priorities, and immigrant categories.
5. Become more informed and active citizens, using our voices and votes to speak for the voiceless, to defend the poor and the vulnerable, and to advance the common good.
6. Provide a framework to examine and ascertain solutions to the root causes of migration, such as economic disparities between sending and receiving nations.
7. Encourage the establishment of a viable, humane, and realistic immigration system that is consistent with our American values and that increases national security while protecting the livelihood of Americans.
8. Encourage our leaders to show their support for congregations composed of or working with immigrants who may or may not have documents.

ADVOCACY

It is a given that family unity has always been a cornerstone of U.S. immigration policy and of advocacy through faith-based groups. Consequently, Christians should advocate for four non-negotiable principles of immigration reform:

• Uniting families.
• Protecting human rights and worker rights.
• Opposing the marginalization of the undocumented, making it possible for those working under the radar to live freely and openly in our society.
• Allowing immigrants willing to contribute to our economy and society a path toward citizenship.

For more information, visit the Mission Strategy website.

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