Should we build a wall at the border, or should we let
everyone through? As I scroll through my
social media feeds, I see posts by friends that seem to support both
extremes. Some say that, as a matter of
security, out nation must seal the border.
Others say that as a matter of Christian compassion, we must care for
the foreigners among us and allow them in.
So what should a faithful Christian believe?
Is there a “right” answer?
Honestly, I don’t know.
What I do know, is that both extremes miss the
mark. I recognize that both “sides” are represented by
people of faith who believe in the message of the gospel. But at the same time, each group ignores vital
and valid points that are made by the other.
In the interests of full disclosure, I am the product of an
immigrant family. My grandparents came
here from Germany, as did my Mother-in-law.
Our family is certainly sympathetic to the cause of immigrants. But even so, I understand that the discussion
pulls us in different directions.
Here are some points of discussion worth
considering:
1)
As followers of God, we are called to be the
voice for the voiceless (Proverbs 31:8) as well as to care for the foreigners
among us (Exodus 22, Jeremiah 22, Ezekiel 22, Zechariah 7)
2) There are limited
resources with which to care for them and a limited number of volunteers who
can provide care.
3) Border crossings that
avoid official checkpoints, cross deserts and other inhospitable territory. As a result, men, women and children die
crossing the border.
4) Unscrupulous people, who are hired to guide
others across the border, often abandon their charges or sell them into various
forms of human trafficking.
5)
Whenever the chance of success is higher, or the
rewards for success become greater, more people attempt to cross the border.
6)
Is it fair, or just, to those who are following
the law and applying for proper documentation, to allow undocumented immigrants
to flow across the border?
7)
Is it fair, or just, for native born citizens to
compete for employment against undocumented migrants?
8)
There are valid local and national security
concerns related to some of the people who are crossing the border. Is it justice to put others at risk by
allowing known criminals into the country without a background check?
Clearly, we are called to be compassionate and to care
for the foreigners among us, but the
most compassionate, caring, and just thing to do may not be found at either
extreme. Building walls and
returning undocumented migrants results in injustice, but opening
the floodgates and allowing everyone in creates a different kind of
injustice. Making it easier
to cross the border will increase the number of people who die crossing it. And the failure to regulate who is crossing, will drive migrants into the hands
of human traffickers.
When the waiting list for legal documentation can drag on
for years, how are those applicants harmed by migrants who are given such
documentation after crossing the border in the dark of night?
We have seen similar waves of immigration. There were waves of Irish, Germans, Czechs, Chinese,
Vietnamese, and others. Perhaps with this
wave of immigrants from Central America, we might reconsider an
old idea. What if we built a new “Ellis
Island” on our border with Mexico? It
would be a place where migrants would be welcomed, cared for, and kept safe, but
also a place where they could be documented, we could conduct background checks, and verify
that they met other requirements.
At Ellis Island, migrants were tested for disease, and
were required to provide documentation that they had employment and a place to
live in their new country. While most
migrants passed through Ellis Island in a day or two, my grandfather was
detained for a week because the man who was supposed to verify his employment
was delayed. He was finally approved for
entry after that man sent a telegram which verified his status.
Once again, I don’t know what the answer is. Most likely, there is no single answer.
But each extreme carries us toward injustice.
But each extreme carries us toward injustice.
Justice and compassion demand that we try to find a way between these conflicting
demands.
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