Featured Right or wrong: Church to shield illegals!

Romans 13 is clear that we must obey the civil authorities, that is unless it contravenes the commands of God (Acts 4:19-20). I don't believe immigration laws do this. However, I am concerned that immigration laws may be mistreating the foreigner (Jeremiah 22:3), and as such should be changed.

 

Yea, how is that?

 

Well, when I worked for a senator handling work for constituents, I had to handle a case that was terrible. A man who had one felony conviction in the 70s had been discovered, it was 2006. He had an American wife and four or five American children. The wrong thing was clearly done in his case as he was sent back to Haiti, leaving his wife and children in poverty and single parenthood as he was the sole breadwinner. I handled the case on the behalf of the wife, since she was a citizen and had standing. Clearly, for the sake of the Americans in the case he should have been allowed to stay and be heavily reprimanded in some way, such as paying all back taxes and being on probation to start.

If he was an immigrant with no roots in America, I could see a good case for withholding citizenship and deporting him. I also see no biblical reason why we cannot grant citizenship as a gentile nation to only those that we choose to for some set of reasons. Citizenship being the method by which we induct people into being Americans.

To be honest, I could not in good conscience do as the immigration services did. I do believe that God will judge those who break up families, create virtual widows, and plunge the virtual widow and her many children into poverty. I'm certainly not doing that out of fear of the Lord and His justice.

 

The blame for his families situation after he was deported lies solely with him.

 

That could be true. I've certainly never heard it before when sharing this story. I'll have to think on it and come back to you.

 

Didn't Jesus say, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" ? That and other passages say to me that secular laws should be obeyed. While illegal aliens are human beings and should be treated with dignity and compassion, they should also be treated within the law....that is, if they are here illegally, they should be deported. They don't have to be beaten, starved, or mistreated in any way while being processed, but they did violate our laws and our immigration laws should be enforced.

I think we should have some sort of guest worker program, but even that should have some rules and those who seek to be admitted under those provisions should do so correctly. To simply disregard our laws and willfully violate them is not correct, even from a secular standpoint.

 

Bottom line, it's up to the governing authorities. We can certainly lobby and get involved, but we should not support illegal activities.

 

If he was here illegally, he should have been sent back. That his family chose not to go with him means they chose not to, not that anybody "broke up" a family.

 

How do our immigration laws mistreat foreigners? Why are foreigners deserve more consideration than Americans?