Immigration reform and the Christian
I've written several profile articles lately about Catholics who have been moved by the issue of immigration reform and have put their actions where their words are. Some are lay people, others priests and academics. They separately traveled to the U.S./Mexico border, witnessed first hand the struggles of those trying to cross over in order to make a better lives for themselves and their families. At the same time they encountered those whose legitimate concerns about such a porous border have forced them to take up arms in order to "defend" that same border.
I have been told there are no easy answers and, of course, we need guidelines to govern the border. But one thing that has drawn me toward these people is their unfettered belief in the value of every life. And it's not like these Catholics just know intellectually that the lives of these immigrants are as valuable as any of ours. They know it to be true in their hearts - a feeling that would do many of us well to internalize, I think.
Get this: One upper middle class man I interviewed was visiting his summer home in Michigan when he began a conversation with a local priest who likes to take parishioners on field trips to the border to see "what it's really like." The man decided he wanted to go. He'd never been anywhere before that wasn't a tourist attraction, and he seemed as surprised as anyone that he would spend a week getting to know the people trying to steal their way into his country. After what he saw - children and families living in homes made of pallets and digging through garbage just to eat - he expected there to be a bitterness against God to rival that of anyone who's suffered beyond the bounds of human endurance. Instead, he found people who thanked God that they were simply alive. He found people hospitable enough to welcome this rich American - the epitome of those seemingly trying to keep them out of the U.S. - into their humble pallet homes and offer the best of what they had to eat while they went hungry. He was stunned. And as this white, 50-ish, graying man told me about his experiences, he had tears in his eyes as if it were the first time in his life he had come face to face with the reality that people around the world really do live that way. It probably was the first time. And while this man isn't quite sure what to do now to help - he simply knows he must. He's been telling anyone who'll listen about his trip to the U.S./Mexico border. He seems to figure it's better to tell people than to do nothing.
I talked to a priest who is also an academic and works on a Catholic Charities board. He visits Latin American countries regularly. He says he wants those coming to the U.S. to be as welcome in the U.S. as he is welcome in their countries - with in reason. He knows that the answers don't come easily and he's certainly not saying there shouldn't be guidelines. There do need to be laws governing the border - no doubt about it. But he does know that the answer doesn't come from being heavy handed, building higher walls and sending in the troops. To him, it's a matter of humanity, it's a matter of treating other human beings with respect, it's a matter of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering the homeless. In his experience, people trying to get into the U.S. don't want to leave their spouses, children and other family members. Rather, they must. He asks, would you want to leave your spouse and children for another country? Of course not. But more than that, they want their families to eat. Who could blame them for wanting to try? At the same time he has no sympathy for criminals trying to cross, but he admits they seem to be a very small portion.
So why do I specifically mention the Catholics here? Because in my experience it seems that Catholics are more open to immigration reform than other Christians. Despite my experiences, get a load of this Pew Research Center article http://pewresearch.org/obdeck/?ObDeckID=20. While I'm somewhat surprised at the Catholic responses in this article, I have to say I'm not surprised at the evangelical response to immigrants. Why is it that evangelicals, and to a lesser degree other mainline groups, seem more concerned about our own economic stability than the needs of the hungry, naked and homeless. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what Christ taught?
I have been told there are no easy answers and, of course, we need guidelines to govern the border. But one thing that has drawn me toward these people is their unfettered belief in the value of every life. And it's not like these Catholics just know intellectually that the lives of these immigrants are as valuable as any of ours. They know it to be true in their hearts - a feeling that would do many of us well to internalize, I think.
Get this: One upper middle class man I interviewed was visiting his summer home in Michigan when he began a conversation with a local priest who likes to take parishioners on field trips to the border to see "what it's really like." The man decided he wanted to go. He'd never been anywhere before that wasn't a tourist attraction, and he seemed as surprised as anyone that he would spend a week getting to know the people trying to steal their way into his country. After what he saw - children and families living in homes made of pallets and digging through garbage just to eat - he expected there to be a bitterness against God to rival that of anyone who's suffered beyond the bounds of human endurance. Instead, he found people who thanked God that they were simply alive. He found people hospitable enough to welcome this rich American - the epitome of those seemingly trying to keep them out of the U.S. - into their humble pallet homes and offer the best of what they had to eat while they went hungry. He was stunned. And as this white, 50-ish, graying man told me about his experiences, he had tears in his eyes as if it were the first time in his life he had come face to face with the reality that people around the world really do live that way. It probably was the first time. And while this man isn't quite sure what to do now to help - he simply knows he must. He's been telling anyone who'll listen about his trip to the U.S./Mexico border. He seems to figure it's better to tell people than to do nothing.
I talked to a priest who is also an academic and works on a Catholic Charities board. He visits Latin American countries regularly. He says he wants those coming to the U.S. to be as welcome in the U.S. as he is welcome in their countries - with in reason. He knows that the answers don't come easily and he's certainly not saying there shouldn't be guidelines. There do need to be laws governing the border - no doubt about it. But he does know that the answer doesn't come from being heavy handed, building higher walls and sending in the troops. To him, it's a matter of humanity, it's a matter of treating other human beings with respect, it's a matter of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering the homeless. In his experience, people trying to get into the U.S. don't want to leave their spouses, children and other family members. Rather, they must. He asks, would you want to leave your spouse and children for another country? Of course not. But more than that, they want their families to eat. Who could blame them for wanting to try? At the same time he has no sympathy for criminals trying to cross, but he admits they seem to be a very small portion.
So why do I specifically mention the Catholics here? Because in my experience it seems that Catholics are more open to immigration reform than other Christians. Despite my experiences, get a load of this Pew Research Center article http://pewresearch.org/obdeck/?ObDeckID=20. While I'm somewhat surprised at the Catholic responses in this article, I have to say I'm not surprised at the evangelical response to immigrants. Why is it that evangelicals, and to a lesser degree other mainline groups, seem more concerned about our own economic stability than the needs of the hungry, naked and homeless. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what Christ taught?
posted by Jeno at
9:56 PM
5 Comments:
There is an interesting historical connection between immigration and evangelicals. For even if the term is used anachronistically, many of the original colonists to America were evangelicals. And in their founding documents, their expressed intention in immigrating was to advance the Kingdom of God. While the intentions of most immigrants to America are different now, you'd think there might be some historical consciousness among evangelicals in their attitudes toward others who are now trying to escape conditions they find oppressive.
By
Anonymous, at 10:25 AM
Every time I read a post or article such as yours, I am always curious to find out where the author lives. And isn't it interesting that they never live in the southwest or west coast where we are being invaded unlawfully and literally overwhelmed. This isn't about race or economics - it's about an illegal invasion. We would feel the same if the Canadians were massing over the borders into our states.
Thanks for listening.
Diane from California
By
Diane R, at 11:41 PM
Hi Diane:
Thanks for your perspective. I can see why you'd be leery about people writing like this who are not from areas around the border. This might be a bit of a surprise, but the area I live in has been innundated over the past several years by immigrants from Mexico. In fact, the city I'm from originally has become a sister city to one in Mexico because several hundred residents of that Mexican city, which is quite poor, have immigrated here to be with family members and friends who previously moved. I've written several stories about these folks over the years. The first man to have arrived from the Mexican city was illegal but he has since moved back to Mexico to be with his wife who never migrated over. He found his way to this area's farms through groups that help migrant workers get away from abusive employers who threaten them if they don't do what they're told. Others from this Mexican man's city saw that he was making money to send to his family and decided to do the same. Because of the area I live in, I have been exposed to these sorts of issues. And the issues immigration has created locally is why many Catholics in this area have become involved - it was knocking on their own back doors. Granted, if it hadn't knocked, I'm not sure they would've gotten involved, but because of the suffering they saw the couldn't stand by and watch any longer.
Despite that, I realize that areas around the border are seeing much, much more of the problems the issues of illegal immigration can cause, which is why it is true there MUST be laws and guidelines governing the border. There is no disput about that.
I just can't help but wonder why my own religious group - evangelicals - have not gotten more involved in the issue.
-Jeno
By
Jeno, at 8:06 AM
I e.mailed my comment to you, but it was a great article.
By
Anonymous, at 11:31 AM
Thanks for your thoughtful post. I found it through the Christian Carnival.
I am a white, Christian, evangelical, American male. I am conservative and I vote Republican. I guess I fit the stereotypical mold.
I live in Northern Virginia which, in the last five years, has experienced a massive influx of Hispanic people. Our traffic congestion has worsened considerably, our schools are overrun with youngsters who don't speak English (my wife serves as a teacher's assistant and deals with non-English speaking kids everyday), our hospitals, too, are overrun with non-English speaking people who have no insurance and cannot pay their bills (my daughter is a nurse in the maternity ward). And on a lesser scale, many of our fast-food restaurants and convenience outlets are staffed by people who speak minimal English and it is often very difficult to communicate.
What I have presented here is purely anecdotal. It is my own personal experience (and those of family and friends). My story only relates the immediate, local situation and how it impacts us in everyday life. What it does not do is offer a solution from a Christian and/or Biblical perspective.
I very much appreciate the heart and passion of my many brothers and sisters in Christ (Catholic and otherwise) who want to help our neighbors to the South. As Christians, we have a duty, a call, a Biblical mandate even, to show kindness to strangers. The question however, is, "How do we address the overwhelming needs of millions of people who are crossing our borders illegally to better their own lives?"
As I see it, there are three separate groups of respondents in this query, and the response of each will be slightly different:
1) Individual Christians: We each have the responsibility of showing kindness and offering help to those in need. But how is kindness truly shown? Do our open arms encourage the breaking of the law, the disregard and disrespect for the culture which has provided the opportunity? Do we look the other way when people take undue advantage of government largesse at the expense of law-abiding citizens? As individuals, each of us must prayerfully consider how we will respond.
2) The Church: The response of the Church is similar to that of the individual Christian. But the Church also has the responsibility to teach and to disciple. Churches must consider the whole counsel of God, and not just the verses on mercy and compassion. Don't get me wrong, God is very merciful and compassionate. But God is also a just God. He expects certain things of us. Among them is a respect for the property of others ("Thou shalt not steal."). The benefits of being an American come either by birth, or by following the rules. The Church has a duty, while showing mercy and compassion, to likewise understand and teach that there is a right way and a wrong way to go about aquiring the benefits of being an American.
3) The State: The responsibility of the State is much different. The State's role is to pass and enforce laws that safeguard their citizenry. Their first obligation is to protect and preserve the rights and freedoms of those living legally within its borders, those who pay the taxes, those who rightfully belong. In the case of our own nation, we have managed to do enough things right that the world is drawn to our doorstep. To protect what we have for future generations, the State has a duty to uphold those principles and values which insure the continuation of our way of life. It is not the primary duty or role of the State to show mercy and compassion. God has given that job to the Church and to the Christian.
We live in an unjust world. Jesus Himself told us that we would always have the poor with us. Some of us are blessed to have been born and raised in America. I am grateful. And my heart longs for all peoples of the world to enjoy the freedoms and material blessings we take for granted here. I know that what we have, came to us by the grace of God. But I also know that our nation arose largely out of the Protestant Reformation, an era of world history where the truths and principles of God's Word were put into play on a grand scale, and resulted in the culture we enjoy and now take for granted.
It may sound arrogant, but I believe that some cultures are superior to others. There are reasons for this of course, reasons too complex to go into here.
The nations from which these millions are fleeing are not built well. They don't work right. They are dysfunctional.
The "open borders" approach is akin to the classic co-dependency approach to dealing with family dysfunctions. By not enforcing the law regarding illegal immigration, our nation is playing the classic "enabler" role. We are only prepetuating the malady, not truly solving the problem.
Respectfully,
Mark W. Weaver
By
weave, at 11:06 AM
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