Across decades, evangelical leaders consistently taught that Christian discipleship includes caring for the vulnerable, defending human dignity, pursuing justice, and loving our neighbors in tangible ways. Those themes weren't occasional side notes. They were presented as central implications of following Jesus.
Previously, we looked at conservative evangelicalism's shifting moral landscape in regards to war and violence, environmental stewardship, racism and discrimination, and the care for the impoverished.
Previously, we looked at conservative evangelicalism's shifting moral landscape in regards to war and violence, environmental stewardship, racism and discrimination, and the care for the impoverished.
The plight of immigrants and refugees is another crucial place where those convictions meet the real world.
Historic evangelicalism consistently spoke of immigrants and refugees as vulnerable neighbors deserving dignity, protection, and compassion. Today, many evangelicals defend rhetoric that portrays migrants primarily as invaders, criminals, or threats to national purity.
Christians can reasonably disagree about border policy, visa systems, levels of immigration, and how laws should be enforced. Those are prudential questions. But before they are political questions, immigrants and refugees are moral realities, because they are people made in the image of God.
“The vulnerable may include not only the poor, but women, children, the aged, persons with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, minorities, the persecuted, and prisoners. God measures societies by how they treat the people at the bottom.”
"Because men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, colour, culture, class, sex or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited…"
"The gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to another, but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness, and insists on moral absolutes in every culture..."
"God identifies with the poor (Ps. 146:5-9), and says that those who “are kind to the poor lend to the Lord” (Prov. 19:17), while those who oppress the poor “show contempt for their Maker” (Prov. 14:31). Jesus said that those who do not care for the needy and the imprisoned will depart eternally from the living God (Matt. 25:31-46). The vulnerable may include not only the poor, but women, children, the aged, persons with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, minorities, the persecuted, and prisoners. God measures societies by how they treat the people at the bottom."
"Ethnic diversity is the gift of God in creation…[it]reflects God’s promise to bless all nations on earth and God’s mission to create for himself a people drawn from every tribe, language, nation and people. We must love all that God has chosen to bless, which includes all cultures… Such love for all peoples demands that we reject the evils of racism and ethnocentrism, and treat every ethnic and cultural group with dignity and respect, on the grounds of their value to God in creation and redemption."
"The Bible tells us that the Lord is loving toward all he has made, upholds the cause of the oppressed, loves the foreigner, feeds the hungry, sustains the fatherless and widow… God holds responsible especially those who are appointed to political or judicial leadership in society."
"Vast numbers of people from many religious backgrounds, including Christians, live in diaspora conditions: economic migrants seeking work; internally-displaced peoples because of war or natural disaster; refugees and asylum seekers; victims of ethnic cleansing; people fleeing religious violence and persecution; famine sufferers – whether caused by drought, floods, or war; victims of rural poverty moving to cities. We are convinced that contemporary migrations are within the sovereign missional purpose of God, without ignoring the evil and suffering that can be involved."
"We encourage Church and mission leaders to recognize and respond to the missional opportunities presented by global migration and diaspora communities, in strategic planning, and in focused training and resourcing of those called to work among them....We encourage Christians in host nations which have immigrant communities and international students and scholars of other religious backgrounds to bear counter-cultural witness to the love of Christ in deed and word, by obeying the extensive biblical commands to love the stranger, defend the cause of the foreigner, visit the prisoner, practice hospitality, build friendships, invite into our homes, and provide help and services..."
"The vulnerable include not only the poor, but those with less power, such as women, children, the aged, persons with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, minorities, the persecuted, prisoners and victims of human trafficking."
"...concern for the plight of refugees, with churches and ministries to continue welcoming, resettling and assisting in the integration of refugees."
Historic evangelicalism consistently spoke of immigrants and refugees as vulnerable neighbors deserving dignity, protection, and compassion. Today, many evangelicals defend rhetoric that portrays migrants primarily as invaders, criminals, or threats to national purity.
Christians can reasonably disagree about border policy, visa systems, levels of immigration, and how laws should be enforced. Those are prudential questions. But before they are political questions, immigrants and refugees are moral realities, because they are people made in the image of God.
Policies may be debated prudentially, but fear-based dehumanization and fear-mongering is fundamentally opposed to the biblical concern for the stranger and sojourner.
Before we get into what's been happening in the party for which conservative white evangelicals overwhelmingly voted(80%), let's look at some statistics specifically about undocumented immigrants to first to establish a baseline of information.
CRIME
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CRIME
According to a study done in Texas by the National Institute of Justice, "Undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes."
According to an article on congress.gov, "Immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than the U.S."
The American Immigration Council notes that, "... immigrants—including undocumented immigrants—are less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born. This is true at the national, state, county, and neighborhood levels, and for both violent and non-violent crime."
"The Trump administration appears to have deleted a Justice Department web page describing a study that concluded undocumented immigrants in Texas commit notably less crime than U.S. citizens, a finding that contradicts the White House’s frequent descriptions of such migrants as violent criminals. The National Institute of Justice web page, titled, “Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizen Rate,” described a study the institute funded in Texas, scrutinizing crime data between 2012 and 2018. The study, preserved elsewhere in House of Representatives records, found that undocumented people were arrested at half the rate of native-born citizens for violent and drug crimes, and a quarter the rate for property crimes. It also noted that the undocumented had the lowest offending rates overall for felony and violent felony crime in the border state." ("Trump’s Department of Justice deletes link to study showing undocumented immigrants commit less crime than US citizens.")
According to an article on congress.gov, "Immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than the U.S."
The American Immigration Council notes that, "... immigrants—including undocumented immigrants—are less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born. This is true at the national, state, county, and neighborhood levels, and for both violent and non-violent crime."
"The Trump administration appears to have deleted a Justice Department web page describing a study that concluded undocumented immigrants in Texas commit notably less crime than U.S. citizens, a finding that contradicts the White House’s frequent descriptions of such migrants as violent criminals. The National Institute of Justice web page, titled, “Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizen Rate,” described a study the institute funded in Texas, scrutinizing crime data between 2012 and 2018. The study, preserved elsewhere in House of Representatives records, found that undocumented people were arrested at half the rate of native-born citizens for violent and drug crimes, and a quarter the rate for property crimes. It also noted that the undocumented had the lowest offending rates overall for felony and violent felony crime in the border state." ("Trump’s Department of Justice deletes link to study showing undocumented immigrants commit less crime than US citizens.")
Federal data indicates that less than 14% of undocumented immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have charges or convictions for violent crimes. The majority of arrestees either have non-violent criminal records or no criminal history at all, having been detained for civil immigration violations.
You are statistically safer living in a community of undocumented immigrants than a community of citizens.[2]
ECONOMY
A leaked 55-page draft from the government concluded that refugees generated a net fiscal benefit of $63 billion over a 10-year period. The study showed refugees contributed $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government from 2005 to 2014, outweighing their costs. Reports detailed how senior White House officials, particularly chief policy adviser Stephen Miller, intervened personally to block the release of the fiscal benefits, arguing the data was "politically motivated," even though their own administration did the study. Miller ultimately rejected the draft and replaced it with a three-page report that only detailed the costs of the refugee program.
You are statistically safer living in a community of undocumented immigrants than a community of citizens.[2]
ECONOMY
A leaked 55-page draft from the government concluded that refugees generated a net fiscal benefit of $63 billion over a 10-year period. The study showed refugees contributed $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government from 2005 to 2014, outweighing their costs. Reports detailed how senior White House officials, particularly chief policy adviser Stephen Miller, intervened personally to block the release of the fiscal benefits, arguing the data was "politically motivated," even though their own administration did the study. Miller ultimately rejected the draft and replaced it with a three-page report that only detailed the costs of the refugee program.
The Libertarian Cato Institute notes that immigrants pay more taxes than the average person.
“The crackdown on immigrants has not unlocked jobs for Americans. During the first nine months of 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations led directly to at least 668,000 lost jobs across 86 U.S. metropolitan areas… The key finding: Immigrant and native workers are not simply substitutes for each other. They are complements. When you remove one, you often undermine the other.” (ICE Is a Job Killer Everywhere It Goes.”)
A working paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas called “The Impacts of Unauthorized Immigration on U.S. Labor and Housing Markets: New Evidence from Administrative Microdata,” found that for every increase in undocumented immigrant workers in an area equal to 1% of the local area's initial employment, there was a 0.96% increase in jobs, a 2.2% increase in home prices, a 1.4% increase in rents, and a 4.5% decrease in government assistance spending.
VOTING
The very conservative Heritage Foundation tracks voter fraud. It found approximately 100 proven cases of noncitizen voting in the past 43 years. During that time, roughly 3-4 billion ballots were cast in primary/general elections. One noncitizen voted for every 30-40 million citizen votes cast (0.000000025 - 0.000000033%). The Center for Election Innovation and Research, the Cato Institute, and the Brennan Center published similar findings. Illegal immigrant votes are not a problem.
Trump attempted to end DACA, a Department of Homeland Security initiative from 2012 that temporarily deferred the deportation of approximately 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. He was blocked by the Supreme Court.
On Jan. 20, 2026, Trump canceled about 30,000 asylum appointments and shut the door on 270,000 others waiting for one through the CBP One app.
"The U.S. Department of State, late Wednesday, abruptly terminated grant agreements with all 10 national resettlement agencies for refugee reception and placement under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for fiscal year 2025, according to refugee resettlement agencies that spoke with Documented. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, one of those 10 organizations, called the latest development “a continued failure to reimburse for services already provided” to refugees. The U.S. government has funded 10 national non-profit organizations for almost four decades under the Reception and Placement cooperative agreement for refugee resettlement. But Wednesday’s decision cancels the agreement for fiscal year 2025. The cooperative agreement, signed every fiscal year, is a contract for the 10 organizations to provide critical services to refugees for their resettlement in the U.S.
Over the past several years across New York, hundreds of thousands of people have arrived seeking asylum and refugee status. “Their presence has strengthened New York,” Rt. Rev. Matt Heyd, 17th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, told Documented. “The work of agencies to support their arrival and safe landing has been crucial. So it’s hard to imagine what happens without those agency support.”
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is one of those 10 national resettlement agencies for refugee reception and placement under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). The organization has worked for generations to support the arrival of refugees from home placement to connecting them to job opportunities. “It’s remarkable the work they’ve done and it is completely needed by folks who are ready to make home here but need a bridge to find it,” Rt. Rev. Heyd said." ("U.S. Dept. of State Ends Historical Agreement with Resettlement Agencies, Putting into Question Promised 90 Day Review.")
“[P]risoners may not be publicly exploited for purposes of propaganda,” wrote Jonathan V. Last in a scathing column at The Bulwark that pointed out the grotesque nature of Kristie Noem’s photo op, with the prisoners dressed alike, “crammed into a cell,” unmoving, silent, and not making any facial expressions. “They have clearly been posed by the jailers, forced to hold position so that they can be useful props for the American woman so that she can manufacture propaganda for her regime,” wrote Last. “We have seen this kind of thing before. Just not from America.” ("Kristi Noem’s El Salvador Prison Photo Op Might Have Violated the Geneva Convention.")
"Latino evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election, resonating with his messaging on the economy and traditional stance on issues like abortion and sexuality. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanic Protestants voted for the president, compared with just 46 percent of Hispanics overall. In Florida, the president enjoys more support among Hispanics than he does in other states with large Latino populations. But when it comes to the president’s immigration actions, some of the state’s Hispanic evangelicals say they are growing disillusioned.“We agree with the deportation of violent criminals and securing the border,” said Gabriel Salguero, pastor of The Gathering Place, an Assemblies of God church in Orlando. “What we’re concerned about is that, although that’s the rhetoric, that’s actually not what’s happening.” ("Hispanic Churches Groan Under Florida’s Double Immigration Crackdown.")
The Private Prison Industry
Meanwhile, the private prison industry is booming specifically because of the influx of arrested immigrants.
As of June 2026, Trump‘s DHS holds over 60,000 people in 225 detention facilities, often in horrific conditions, as has been reported in many outlets. Congressmen and women are consistently denied oversight visits, or heavily monitored when they do so. Over two-thirds of them have no criminal record. [1] They are being held without due process, which defines such facilities as concentration camps, according to the U.S. Holocaust Museum.
Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revised its internal policy to conduct annual inspections on dedicated facilities and biennial inspections from twice a year to every other year on non-dedicated facilities. A CBS News analysis of inspection reports revealed that 15 large facilities have not been inspected in over a year, with 5 having no inspections on record at all.
ICE is requesting that they can stop paying prisoners who do work while in jail. “The move came after The Geo Group — which formerly employed two of President Donald Trump's top immigration officials and made hefty donations to Trump’s 2025 inaugural fund and a Trump-aligned super PAC — was sued in three states for allegedly violating minimum wage laws.”
ICE's response to protestors? They posted on X:
Keep in mind that federal data indicates that less than 14% of undocumented immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have charges or convictions for violent crimes. The majority of arrestees either have non-violent criminal records or no criminal history at all, having been detained for civil immigration violations.
Tom Homan, the acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement went on Fox after ICE agents killed two people who were not ICE's intended targets this week: “There’s still going to be more bloodshed unless they shut their mouth and let ICE enforce the laws that they enacted.”
"Christian converts from Islam are among migrants from countries hostile to Christianity who have been deported from the United States — initially to Panama, where they are isolated before possible deportation to their home countries, according to The New York Times. The Feb. 18 article reported that at least 10 Christians from Iran were among more than 100 people put on a military plane last week for Panama, including migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Uzbekistan — respectively ranked eighth, 10th, 15th and 25th on Open Doors’ World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Iran, where leaving Islam is punishable by death under sharia (Islamic law), is ranked ninth on the list." ("Christian immigrants among those deported from the US to Islamist countries: report.")
After the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, Sean Davis, the CEO of The Federalist, offered some options for how to respond. They included denying entry to all pregnant foreigners, denying entry to all female foreigners, or requiring sterilization of all foreign visitors prior to entry. Stephen Miller promptly went on camera and said that all the country’s door were closed to asylum seekers. Markwayne Mullin, the head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security and White House aide Stephen Miller are supporting this possibility as well.
Rep. Andy Ogles wrote on X: “SCOTUS betrayed America. It’s time to bar pregnant foreigners from coming to this country. We are being colonized. Anchors Away!”
(Note: about 26,000 of the 3.5 million babies born in the United States each year are born to foreign residents.)
"Jalil Dawood, pastor of the Arabic Church of Dallas, thanks God every day for the U.S. government’s refugee resettlement program, which helped him settle in the United States after he fled persecution during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. On Friday, the Trump administration halted the current resettlement program for refugees, who are legal immigrants who have been vetted by the government, many of them after awaiting resettlement for years. A previous order put a stop to all new arrivals of refugees for the next 90 days.“There a lot of persecuted Christians,” said Dawood, whose group does not receive any federal funds. Saying he believes the Bible tells Christians to be compassionate to refugees, he added, “There is a real need, and America needs to bless those people, bring them in or help them so they might start a new life,” he said. “God will bless America for that. And that’s my concern.”
Since the start of the federal fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2024, more than 32,000 refugees have arrived in the United States, as well as an additional 10,000 Afghans with special visas. They are all entitled to 90 days of housing and other basic support to help them resettle in the United States, find employment and enroll their children in school.
Danilo Zak, director of policy at Church World Service, a faith-based refugee resettlement agency that contracts with the federal government to resettle refugees, said that in the week before Trump’s inauguration alone, more than 5,000 refugees and 1,000 Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas were resettled across the country." ("Faith Groups Say They’ll Help Refugees Despite Trump Order. But They’ll Need Help.")
"The Trump Administration announced last night that it will suspend refugee resettlement to America. This program has existed since the 1980 Refugee Act and currently offers over 100,000 security-vetted refugees from around the world the chance to start a new life in America. The IRC works in 40 cities across the country to support refugees as they integrate into American life and become contributing members of their communities. The IRC believes this suspension is a step backward for America. The US Refugee Admissions Program operates as a public-private partnership and has historically been a bipartisan initiative: more refugees were admitted under President Reagan than under any other president. The program offers some of the most vulnerable refugees in the world, including those who have supported US national security interests overseas, a route to safety. They are vetted by over a dozen federal security agencies via a years-long process. Evidence shows that resettled refugees contribute to local economies by supporting local businesses, and reducing refugee numbers will have an adverse impact on the American economy." ("Executive Order Suspending US Refugee Resettlement: “A Step Backward,” Says the IRC.")
"Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S., including family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel, are having their flights canceled under President Donald Trump's order suspending U.S. refugee programs, a U.S. official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate said on Monday. The group includes unaccompanied minors awaiting reunification with their families in the U.S. as well as Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution because they fought for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, said Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy groups and the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity." ("Exclusive: Trump to pull nearly 1,660 Afghan refugees from flights, say US official, advocate.")
"A group of over 25 religious organizations has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contesting a policy change by the Trump administration that allows immigration enforcement actions at schools and houses of worship. Prior to this change, DHS agents were generally required to obtain special authorization to conduct enforcement actions at designated "sensitive locations."
The plaintiffs, representing a broad spectrum of Christian and Jewish denominations, argue that the policy infringes upon their religious freedom and deters participation in programs in houses of worship." ("Religious Organizations Including Jews, Catholics, Mennonites, File Lawsuit To Prevent Immigration Raids In Houses Of Worship.")
"On Monday, five Societies of Friends sued the Trump administration over a directive on immigration, saying it infringes on their religious liberty.When the Department of Homeland Security announced it would no longer recognize churches as “protected areas,” many religious leaders around the country objected. Offering refuge to the vulnerable is central to their faith practice, they say. Guidance in previous presidencies advised against conducting immigration enforcement at or near sensitive locations, including houses of worship and schools.
“The most significant impact of this change in policy is that people will be afraid to go to church,” says Mr. Soerens, whose organization wrote a letter signed by seven Christian groups urging the Trump administration to respect religious freedom.That’s exactly what many houses of worship are concerned about, whether or not raids are conducted. And that’s part of what the Quakers say constitutes a violation of the First Amendment." ("‘People will be afraid to go to church.’ Congregations sue for sanctuary.")
“A new report from the Brookings Institution estimates that roughly 145,000 U.S.-citizen children have experienced the detention of a parent during President Donald Trump’s expanded immigration crackdown, several researchers say, far exceeding official federal estimates. The analysis estimates that more than 205,000 children overall have had a parent detained by immigration authorities since Trump returned to office. Researchers said about three-quarters of those children are likely American citizens.”
Skye Jetani, Christian author and podcaster, notes why this matters: "People have come into this country legally, seeking asylum, fleeing persecution, and we said, 'Yes, we want you, we welcome you.' And then simply because there is a new administration, these people get kicked out of the country? That's America betraying its own promise. When we don't stand by our own words and promises as our nation, we create enemies. A country without integrity doesn't have a future. It can't create friends and allies to make for a peaceful world."
“International students have become less likely to pursue education in the U.S. since President Donald Trump’s return to office. The administration has introduced more restrictive anti-immigration policies, including measures that explicitly target foreign-born students, and tightened rules about post-schooling employment for international graduates. Last fall, schools reported international student enrollment had dipped 17%, according to NAFSA, an education nonprofit. Declining tuition spending translated to $1.1 billion in lost revenue for universities, and almost 23,000 fewer jobs… Of the 1.2 million international students who attended U.S. schools last year, 57% were enrolled in a STEM program, according to a survey by the Institute of International Education… If the number of transplant STEM graduates trained in the U.S. were to fall by a third over the next decade, the blow to entrepreneurship, productivity, and business dynamism would claw anywhere between $240 billion and $481 billion from the country’s GDP … While the number of foreign-born STEM workers who stay in the U.S. declines the further they are removed from graduation, the researchers found nearly 40% of highly skilled professionals end up staying in the U.S. more than eight years after completing their degree.
Immigrants deserve dignity. They are not second-tier human beings. They are image bearers of God who deserve to have us committed to their flourishing.
I have come close to weeping as I hear not just the rhetoric from our political leaders about “animals” that come from “shit-hole countries,” but the rhetoric from people I know. There is no consideration that immigrants here without proper documentation might have a story to be heard before passing judgment on their character and integrity. There is no consideration that our system is so terrible broken that it traps them in impossible legal hoops. They don’t seem to be treated as….people anymore. Just statistics to be dealt with.
And then to watch the brutality of ICE sweeping through neighborhoods, indiscriminately and callously arresting people just because they look foreign, then denying them basic paths of justice and ignoring court orders…. Jesus wept. But evangelicals don’t.
“Thus every right we assert for ourselves is at once a right we defend for others.” Would you want to be treated with dignity if you were arrested? Defend it for everyone. It’s the Golden Rule. Apparently it is not applicable anymore.
I remember being told that following Jesus meant moving toward the vulnerable. That it meant humility, kindness, truthfulness—especially when it cost us something. And maybe that’s why the dehumanizing and unfair way we speak of and treat vulnerable people like immigrants – whether they are here legally or not - is so hard to process now.
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[2] Being in the country without proper documentation is a civil infraction, not a criminal one.
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[1] As cited in Kaitlyn Schiess’s book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation For The Sake Of Our Neighbor
[2] If this seems odd to you, consider this: immigrants – especially those lacking proper or current documentation – have a vested interest in staying off of the radar of law enforcement. A good way to avoid that is to not do anything that would put you on that radar.
“The crackdown on immigrants has not unlocked jobs for Americans. During the first nine months of 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations led directly to at least 668,000 lost jobs across 86 U.S. metropolitan areas… The key finding: Immigrant and native workers are not simply substitutes for each other. They are complements. When you remove one, you often undermine the other.” (ICE Is a Job Killer Everywhere It Goes.”)
A working paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas called “The Impacts of Unauthorized Immigration on U.S. Labor and Housing Markets: New Evidence from Administrative Microdata,” found that for every increase in undocumented immigrant workers in an area equal to 1% of the local area's initial employment, there was a 0.96% increase in jobs, a 2.2% increase in home prices, a 1.4% increase in rents, and a 4.5% decrease in government assistance spending.
SOCIAL SECURITY
J.D Vance has recently been insisting that undocumented immigrants get social security. Dr. Oz and RFK Jr. made a video in which they claimed one million undocumented immigrants were enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. This is not true.
J.D Vance has recently been insisting that undocumented immigrants get social security. Dr. Oz and RFK Jr. made a video in which they claimed one million undocumented immigrants were enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. This is not true.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to claim benefits, even if they have worked in the United States and paid Social Security taxes. Undocumented workers often have taxes withheld from their paychecks, paying an estimated $25 to $26 billion annually into the system. Even if they have a fraudulent SSN, Social Security taxes collected under a fraudulent SSN will not match an undocumented immigrant's real identity, so they cannot legally collect Social Security benefits. (“Can Undocumented Immigrants Collect Social Security?”)
HOUSING
HOUSING
Recently, much has been made of a claim that undocumented immigrants have caused housing costs to rise 30% based on a working paper authored by economists Daniel J. Wilson and Xiaoqing Zhou for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. That's not what the paper said, according to Yahoo Finance. Housing prices rose 6.3%, of which 30% of that rise (1.89%) could possibly be attributed to undocumented immigrants.
In "The Role of the Recent Immigrant Surge in Housing Costs," the Joint Center For Housing Study at Harvard looks at the lack of correlation between immigration and housing prices.
Explainer does a good job explaining the complexity of the statistics and ripple effect related to housing and immigration.
The very conservative Heritage Foundation tracks voter fraud. It found approximately 100 proven cases of noncitizen voting in the past 43 years. During that time, roughly 3-4 billion ballots were cast in primary/general elections. One noncitizen voted for every 30-40 million citizen votes cast (0.000000025 - 0.000000033%). The Center for Election Innovation and Research, the Cato Institute, and the Brennan Center published similar findings. Illegal immigrant votes are not a problem.
With that in mind, let's look at the rhetoric and actions aimed toward undocumented immigrants.
* * * * *
“In Colorado, they’re so brazen, they’re taking over sections of the state. And you know, getting them out will be a bloody story. They should have never been allowed to come into our country. Nobody checked them.” (Trump, on September 7, 2024, at a rally in Wisconsin, referring to his mass-deportation plans)
"The White House on Tuesday afternoon posted a video online showing immigrants in shackles being prepared to board a deportation flight from Seattle.The video includes footage of a set of handcuffs and chains jingling as they are pulled from a basket containing other shackles and then laid out on the airport tarmac next to four other sets of restraints. The X post by the White House is titled, “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.” ASMR is a nonclinical term that stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.” It refers to a pleasant, tingling feeling some people experience when watching videos featuring unusual sounds, like whispering or fingernails tapping on a surface." ("White House posts video of immigrants in shackles, calls deportation footage ‘ASMR’")
DOGE made so many layoffs in the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Citizenship & Immigration Services, Ombudsman & Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman that it ceased to function.
Trump attempted to end DACA, a Department of Homeland Security initiative from 2012 that temporarily deferred the deportation of approximately 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. He was blocked by the Supreme Court.
On Jan. 20, 2026, Trump canceled about 30,000 asylum appointments and shut the door on 270,000 others waiting for one through the CBP One app.
Over the past several years across New York, hundreds of thousands of people have arrived seeking asylum and refugee status. “Their presence has strengthened New York,” Rt. Rev. Matt Heyd, 17th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, told Documented. “The work of agencies to support their arrival and safe landing has been crucial. So it’s hard to imagine what happens without those agency support.”
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is one of those 10 national resettlement agencies for refugee reception and placement under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). The organization has worked for generations to support the arrival of refugees from home placement to connecting them to job opportunities. “It’s remarkable the work they’ve done and it is completely needed by folks who are ready to make home here but need a bridge to find it,” Rt. Rev. Heyd said." ("U.S. Dept. of State Ends Historical Agreement with Resettlement Agencies, Putting into Question Promised 90 Day Review.")
With the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, including the Battered Immigrant Women’s Protection Act, Congress created U visas for victims of domestic violence and other serious crimes, and T visas for victims of human trafficking. But the Trump administration policies have made it easier to detain and deport immigrants who have been victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and other crimes — and who have pending visa applications based on their cooperation with U.S. law enforcement. In fact, a new Trump administration policy tells ICE officers that they don’t have to actively check if someone has a pending U or T visa while carrying out arrests.
"Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Friday that none of the hundreds of Venezuelans deported by the U.S. to a Salvadoran prison is a member of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua criminal gang, the reason Washington gave for expelling them. 'I believe with absolute responsibility that not a single one appears on the organizational chart of the now-extinct Tren de Aragua organization, not a single one,' Cabello said on a podcast, saying he had names of the deportees from U.S. media and his own source." ("Venezuela minister says no Tren de Aragua members among US deportees.")
“[P]risoners may not be publicly exploited for purposes of propaganda,” wrote Jonathan V. Last in a scathing column at The Bulwark that pointed out the grotesque nature of Kristie Noem’s photo op, with the prisoners dressed alike, “crammed into a cell,” unmoving, silent, and not making any facial expressions. “They have clearly been posed by the jailers, forced to hold position so that they can be useful props for the American woman so that she can manufacture propaganda for her regime,” wrote Last. “We have seen this kind of thing before. Just not from America.” ("Kristi Noem’s El Salvador Prison Photo Op Might Have Violated the Geneva Convention.")
"Latino evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election, resonating with his messaging on the economy and traditional stance on issues like abortion and sexuality. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanic Protestants voted for the president, compared with just 46 percent of Hispanics overall. In Florida, the president enjoys more support among Hispanics than he does in other states with large Latino populations. But when it comes to the president’s immigration actions, some of the state’s Hispanic evangelicals say they are growing disillusioned.“We agree with the deportation of violent criminals and securing the border,” said Gabriel Salguero, pastor of The Gathering Place, an Assemblies of God church in Orlando. “What we’re concerned about is that, although that’s the rhetoric, that’s actually not what’s happening.” ("Hispanic Churches Groan Under Florida’s Double Immigration Crackdown.")
"A federal whistleblower has revealed plans by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to falsely list millions of people in the Social Security database as dead in a scheme to pressure them to leave the US. In an interview published Friday by The Washington Post, former Social Security Administration (SSA) executive Jeremiah Schofield outlined a DOGE-concocted scheme that would have potentially cut people off from wages, banking, and government benefits by falsely listing them as dead. Schofield said a DOGE employee told him in a phone call that they wanted to add 2.7 million living people to SSA’s “Death Master File,” cutting them off from essential financial services so they would either leave the country voluntarily or show up to local SSA offices to complain, where they would be promptly arrested." (See previous comment that illegal immigrants do not have a SSN.)
"Last year, the SBC’s public policy entity withdrew from the Evangelical Immigration Table, which supports immigration reform.
“But some of the evangelical pastors who are staunch supporters of the Trump immigration agenda go much further, seeing large-scale immigration as an existential threat to U.S. culture and calling for the mass deportation of anyone in the country without legal status.“I think all of them need to go,” said Joe Rigney, an associate pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and author of “The Sin of Empathy.” Rigney wants to see a 30-year moratorium on all immigration. He argues that the changes to immigration law in 1965, after what’s known as the Hart-Celler Act passed, were a mistake. That law opened up immigration from Asia and Africa — before then, the law favored immigrants from Europe. This past week, Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee, a fierce opponent of immigration, introduced a bill to repeal most of the 1965 law….To Rigney, mass immigration to the United States is a judgment from God for the decline in religious affiliation in the country. “We’ve turned away from God, and now, with the aid of our political leaders, are being overrun by foreigners. Like, that’s, that’s, this is a judgment.” ("Meet The Pastors Who Support ICE Raids.")
"Last year, the SBC’s public policy entity withdrew from the Evangelical Immigration Table, which supports immigration reform.
“But some of the evangelical pastors who are staunch supporters of the Trump immigration agenda go much further, seeing large-scale immigration as an existential threat to U.S. culture and calling for the mass deportation of anyone in the country without legal status.“I think all of them need to go,” said Joe Rigney, an associate pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and author of “The Sin of Empathy.” Rigney wants to see a 30-year moratorium on all immigration. He argues that the changes to immigration law in 1965, after what’s known as the Hart-Celler Act passed, were a mistake. That law opened up immigration from Asia and Africa — before then, the law favored immigrants from Europe. This past week, Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee, a fierce opponent of immigration, introduced a bill to repeal most of the 1965 law….To Rigney, mass immigration to the United States is a judgment from God for the decline in religious affiliation in the country. “We’ve turned away from God, and now, with the aid of our political leaders, are being overrun by foreigners. Like, that’s, that’s, this is a judgment.” ("Meet The Pastors Who Support ICE Raids.")
Meanwhile, the private prison industry is booming specifically because of the influx of arrested immigrants.
Private prison company GEO Group, which runs Delaney Hall (which has recently been the subject of significant protests because of the inhumane treatment of inmates) gave $1,000,000 to Trump's Super PAC in 2024 and his inauguration in 2025. Not only has Trump since rewarded GEO with billions in ICE contracts, but a top former GEO executive has now been named acting ICE director.
A Bush appointed federal judge just ordered GEO Group to let Washington health inspectors into its Tacoma ICE facility. GEO has turned inspectors away 10 times, twice after an appeals court already said the state had the right. There have been 3,500+ complaints. Rotten food with bugs. Raw meat that made multiple detainees sick. Black mold. 2 working bathrooms:100 people.
GEO Group earned a record $254 million profit last year (up from $32 million in 2024) and expects $3 billion in revenue this year.
Donald Trump's financial disclosures prove he's invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the GEO Group as ICE fills their prisons with immigrants. The government spent $1.5 billion buying two immigration prisons from CoreCivic. President Trump owns CoreCivic stock. Last week, Trump called for arrests of undocumented immigrants to double. Where will the go? To these prisons.
According to Prison Legal News, “Another private prison company, CoreCivic, on Thursday reported $116.5 million in 2025 profits, a nearly 70% increase from the previous year. The operator of ICE facilities including the notorious Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas—which detainees describe as a measles-infested “living hell” where they’ve been served moldy food full of worms and forced to drink putrid water—said it expects 2026 to be even more profitable. ("Private Prison Firm GEO Group Reports Record $254 Million Profit After New ICE Contracts.")
A Bush appointed federal judge just ordered GEO Group to let Washington health inspectors into its Tacoma ICE facility. GEO has turned inspectors away 10 times, twice after an appeals court already said the state had the right. There have been 3,500+ complaints. Rotten food with bugs. Raw meat that made multiple detainees sick. Black mold. 2 working bathrooms:100 people.
GEO Group earned a record $254 million profit last year (up from $32 million in 2024) and expects $3 billion in revenue this year.
Donald Trump's financial disclosures prove he's invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the GEO Group as ICE fills their prisons with immigrants. The government spent $1.5 billion buying two immigration prisons from CoreCivic. President Trump owns CoreCivic stock. Last week, Trump called for arrests of undocumented immigrants to double. Where will the go? To these prisons.
According to Prison Legal News, “Another private prison company, CoreCivic, on Thursday reported $116.5 million in 2025 profits, a nearly 70% increase from the previous year. The operator of ICE facilities including the notorious Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas—which detainees describe as a measles-infested “living hell” where they’ve been served moldy food full of worms and forced to drink putrid water—said it expects 2026 to be even more profitable. ("Private Prison Firm GEO Group Reports Record $254 Million Profit After New ICE Contracts.")
Camp East Montana has over 5,000 detainees who "suffered from 'conditions of confinement that amounted to enforced disappearance, cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment, excessive use of force including one extrajudicial killing, life-threatening medical neglect, barriers to legal representation, and coercive third-country removals... overcrowded housing areas, bathrooms covered in feces and urine, and living quarters flooded with dirty water an"d dust...regular beatings...denying emergency medical care... Angélica César, Aryeh Neier Fellow at Human Rights Watch and the ACLU, said the groups’ report shows the camp is 'a human rights disaster.'” ("‘A Human Rights Disaster’: Groups Demand Closure of Trump’s Largest Immigrant Detention Center.")
As of June 2026, Trump‘s DHS holds over 60,000 people in 225 detention facilities, often in horrific conditions, as has been reported in many outlets. Congressmen and women are consistently denied oversight visits, or heavily monitored when they do so. Over two-thirds of them have no criminal record. [1] They are being held without due process, which defines such facilities as concentration camps, according to the U.S. Holocaust Museum.
Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revised its internal policy to conduct annual inspections on dedicated facilities and biennial inspections from twice a year to every other year on non-dedicated facilities. A CBS News analysis of inspection reports revealed that 15 large facilities have not been inspected in over a year, with 5 having no inspections on record at all.
ICE is requesting that they can stop paying prisoners who do work while in jail. “The move came after The Geo Group — which formerly employed two of President Donald Trump's top immigration officials and made hefty donations to Trump’s 2025 inaugural fund and a Trump-aligned super PAC — was sued in three states for allegedly violating minimum wage laws.”
Since its creation in 2003, 15 ICE agents have died while on Enforcement and Removal Operations duties,13 due to COVID, one from a heart attack and one from kidney failure.
Since 2003, 185 people have died while in ICE custody. This year alone 29 people have died in ICE custody. Meanwhile, since Trump has taken office in his second term, ICE has fatally shot 10 people, both citizens and immigrants.
"Womp, womp, cry all you want. These criminal illegal aliens aren't getting released. Like clockwork, violent rioters have arrived at the Broadview ICE facility to demand the release of some of the worst human being on planet earth. Get a job you imbecile morons."
Christians Immigrants and Refugees
"Christian converts from Islam are among migrants from countries hostile to Christianity who have been deported from the United States — initially to Panama, where they are isolated before possible deportation to their home countries, according to The New York Times. The Feb. 18 article reported that at least 10 Christians from Iran were among more than 100 people put on a military plane last week for Panama, including migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Uzbekistan — respectively ranked eighth, 10th, 15th and 25th on Open Doors’ World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Iran, where leaving Islam is punishable by death under sharia (Islamic law), is ranked ninth on the list." ("Christian immigrants among those deported from the US to Islamist countries: report.")
Rep. Andy Ogles wrote on X: “SCOTUS betrayed America. It’s time to bar pregnant foreigners from coming to this country. We are being colonized. Anchors Away!”
(Note: about 26,000 of the 3.5 million babies born in the United States each year are born to foreign residents.)
"Jalil Dawood, pastor of the Arabic Church of Dallas, thanks God every day for the U.S. government’s refugee resettlement program, which helped him settle in the United States after he fled persecution during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. On Friday, the Trump administration halted the current resettlement program for refugees, who are legal immigrants who have been vetted by the government, many of them after awaiting resettlement for years. A previous order put a stop to all new arrivals of refugees for the next 90 days.“There a lot of persecuted Christians,” said Dawood, whose group does not receive any federal funds. Saying he believes the Bible tells Christians to be compassionate to refugees, he added, “There is a real need, and America needs to bless those people, bring them in or help them so they might start a new life,” he said. “God will bless America for that. And that’s my concern.”
Since the start of the federal fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2024, more than 32,000 refugees have arrived in the United States, as well as an additional 10,000 Afghans with special visas. They are all entitled to 90 days of housing and other basic support to help them resettle in the United States, find employment and enroll their children in school.
Danilo Zak, director of policy at Church World Service, a faith-based refugee resettlement agency that contracts with the federal government to resettle refugees, said that in the week before Trump’s inauguration alone, more than 5,000 refugees and 1,000 Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas were resettled across the country." ("Faith Groups Say They’ll Help Refugees Despite Trump Order. But They’ll Need Help.")
"The Trump Administration announced last night that it will suspend refugee resettlement to America. This program has existed since the 1980 Refugee Act and currently offers over 100,000 security-vetted refugees from around the world the chance to start a new life in America. The IRC works in 40 cities across the country to support refugees as they integrate into American life and become contributing members of their communities. The IRC believes this suspension is a step backward for America. The US Refugee Admissions Program operates as a public-private partnership and has historically been a bipartisan initiative: more refugees were admitted under President Reagan than under any other president. The program offers some of the most vulnerable refugees in the world, including those who have supported US national security interests overseas, a route to safety. They are vetted by over a dozen federal security agencies via a years-long process. Evidence shows that resettled refugees contribute to local economies by supporting local businesses, and reducing refugee numbers will have an adverse impact on the American economy." ("Executive Order Suspending US Refugee Resettlement: “A Step Backward,” Says the IRC.")
"Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S., including family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel, are having their flights canceled under President Donald Trump's order suspending U.S. refugee programs, a U.S. official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate said on Monday. The group includes unaccompanied minors awaiting reunification with their families in the U.S. as well as Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution because they fought for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, said Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy groups and the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity." ("Exclusive: Trump to pull nearly 1,660 Afghan refugees from flights, say US official, advocate.")
Meanwhile, in 2025, Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) – with the exception of 400 white South Africans. For Fiscal Year 2026 (beginning Oct. 1, 2025), the U.S. administration set a record-low refugee admissions cap of 7,500, according to Global Refuge and the Federal Register. This is the lowest limit in the history of the program. White South Africans are the only population specifically mentioned as the primary group included in the 7,500-refugee ceiling.
"A group of over 25 religious organizations has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contesting a policy change by the Trump administration that allows immigration enforcement actions at schools and houses of worship. Prior to this change, DHS agents were generally required to obtain special authorization to conduct enforcement actions at designated "sensitive locations."
The plaintiffs, representing a broad spectrum of Christian and Jewish denominations, argue that the policy infringes upon their religious freedom and deters participation in programs in houses of worship." ("Religious Organizations Including Jews, Catholics, Mennonites, File Lawsuit To Prevent Immigration Raids In Houses Of Worship.")
"On Monday, five Societies of Friends sued the Trump administration over a directive on immigration, saying it infringes on their religious liberty.When the Department of Homeland Security announced it would no longer recognize churches as “protected areas,” many religious leaders around the country objected. Offering refuge to the vulnerable is central to their faith practice, they say. Guidance in previous presidencies advised against conducting immigration enforcement at or near sensitive locations, including houses of worship and schools.
“The most significant impact of this change in policy is that people will be afraid to go to church,” says Mr. Soerens, whose organization wrote a letter signed by seven Christian groups urging the Trump administration to respect religious freedom.That’s exactly what many houses of worship are concerned about, whether or not raids are conducted. And that’s part of what the Quakers say constitutes a violation of the First Amendment." ("‘People will be afraid to go to church.’ Congregations sue for sanctuary.")
“A new report from the Brookings Institution estimates that roughly 145,000 U.S.-citizen children have experienced the detention of a parent during President Donald Trump’s expanded immigration crackdown, several researchers say, far exceeding official federal estimates. The analysis estimates that more than 205,000 children overall have had a parent detained by immigration authorities since Trump returned to office. Researchers said about three-quarters of those children are likely American citizens.”
In 2026, Pete Hegseth went to France to honor the veterans of D-Day and used it as an opportunity to say Europe is being overrun with immigrants and called on leaders there to help in the American fight against migration. Basically, he compared the arrival of immigrants to the arrival of Nazis during a WWII remembrance ceremony. "Sadly, today different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, in Italy, in Greece, and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not."
The Supreme Court gave Homeland Security the green light to deport those who previously were able to work and live legally in the United States under TPS. The news left Haitian and Syrian communities, as well as Christians who have advocated for TPS holders, in shock and dismay.” (“‘The Saddest Day’: Supreme Court Allows Deportation of Thousands Who Had Legal Status,” Christianity Today).
“At a Faith and Freedom Coalition town hall in Washington, D.C., Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN), the third-ranking Republican in the House, made the white nationalism of the Republican Party clear. He said: “Minnesotans are so afraid that you're gonna call us a racist, you're gonna call us an Islamophobe…. You know what? I would argue that I never did care, but I'm done being careful, even the least bit careful…. [Somalis] don't assimilate. And if they don't assimilate, then they should go the hell back to where they came from.”
Eric Henderson of CBS News notes that Emmer has moved dramatically rightward in the past decade. In 2016, Emmer told NPR that the Somali community in Minnesota was among “the fastest-assimilating populations that we've had.” “I'm going to say it out loud,” he said, “when you move to a community, as long as you are here legally, I am very sorry, but you don't get to slam the gate behind you and tell nobody else that they're welcome. That's not the way this country works.” (Heather Cox Richardson, June 26, 2026 newsletter)
Eric Henderson of CBS News notes that Emmer has moved dramatically rightward in the past decade. In 2016, Emmer told NPR that the Somali community in Minnesota was among “the fastest-assimilating populations that we've had.” “I'm going to say it out loud,” he said, “when you move to a community, as long as you are here legally, I am very sorry, but you don't get to slam the gate behind you and tell nobody else that they're welcome. That's not the way this country works.” (Heather Cox Richardson, June 26, 2026 newsletter)
There is a ripple effect in a lot of ways. Here's one that stands out to me because of my connection to international college students who have stayed in the U.S., two of whom have practically become part of our family.
“International students have become less likely to pursue education in the U.S. since President Donald Trump’s return to office. The administration has introduced more restrictive anti-immigration policies, including measures that explicitly target foreign-born students, and tightened rules about post-schooling employment for international graduates. Last fall, schools reported international student enrollment had dipped 17%, according to NAFSA, an education nonprofit. Declining tuition spending translated to $1.1 billion in lost revenue for universities, and almost 23,000 fewer jobs… Of the 1.2 million international students who attended U.S. schools last year, 57% were enrolled in a STEM program, according to a survey by the Institute of International Education… If the number of transplant STEM graduates trained in the U.S. were to fall by a third over the next decade, the blow to entrepreneurship, productivity, and business dynamism would claw anywhere between $240 billion and $481 billion from the country’s GDP … While the number of foreign-born STEM workers who stay in the U.S. declines the further they are removed from graduation, the researchers found nearly 40% of highly skilled professionals end up staying in the U.S. more than eight years after completing their degree.
Those who do stay end up being some of the country’s most dynamic innovators. Immigrants have founded or cofounded 59% of the country’s billion-dollar startups, according to a report published this month by the National Foundation for American Policy. Research from Stanford economists in 2023 also found immigrants are responsible for 23% of patents issued over the past few decades, in part because of how frequently U.S.-born innovators end up citing foreign-born research and inventions….The U.S.’s loss might end up being its rivals’ gain. While American colleges and universities face consistent budget shortfalls and enrollment cliffs, 82% of schools in Asia and 47% in Europe saw undergraduate enrollment rise last year, compared to just 18% in the U.S., according to the recent NAFSA report. Universities in Hong Kong and Japan openly courted international Harvard attendees last year who were caught up in the institution’s clash with the Trump administration about the school’s policies.“These high-skill STEM workers lost to the United States won’t disappear,” the Peterson researchers wrote. “They will supply their talents instead to competitor countries.” (“Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy.”)
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Immigrants deserve dignity. They are not second-tier human beings. They are image bearers of God who deserve to have us committed to their flourishing.
I have come close to weeping as I hear not just the rhetoric from our political leaders about “animals” that come from “shit-hole countries,” but the rhetoric from people I know. There is no consideration that immigrants here without proper documentation might have a story to be heard before passing judgment on their character and integrity. There is no consideration that our system is so terrible broken that it traps them in impossible legal hoops. They don’t seem to be treated as….people anymore. Just statistics to be dealt with.
And then to watch the brutality of ICE sweeping through neighborhoods, indiscriminately and callously arresting people just because they look foreign, then denying them basic paths of justice and ignoring court orders…. Jesus wept. But evangelicals don’t.
“Thus every right we assert for ourselves is at once a right we defend for others.” Would you want to be treated with dignity if you were arrested? Defend it for everyone. It’s the Golden Rule. Apparently it is not applicable anymore.
I remember being told that following Jesus meant moving toward the vulnerable. That it meant humility, kindness, truthfulness—especially when it cost us something. And maybe that’s why the dehumanizing and unfair way we speak of and treat vulnerable people like immigrants – whether they are here legally or not - is so hard to process now.
I still believe what evangelicalism once taught me—that every human being bears the image of God. That Christians move toward the vulnerable rather than away from them. That truth matters. That mercy matters. That justice matters. That the stranger is not an interruption to discipleship but one of the places where discipleship is lived.
I have not abandoned those convictions. If anything, they are the reason I can no longer identify with an evangelicalism that so often speaks of immigrants first as threats rather than neighbors.
I want to follow the Jesus who crossed every boundary to welcome me. I cannot follow a movement that teaches me to fear the very people He repeatedly commands me to love.
[2] Being in the country without proper documentation is a civil infraction, not a criminal one.
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[1] As cited in Kaitlyn Schiess’s book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation For The Sake Of Our Neighbor
[2] If this seems odd to you, consider this: immigrants – especially those lacking proper or current documentation – have a vested interest in staying off of the radar of law enforcement. A good way to avoid that is to not do anything that would put you on that radar.
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