Church, Family, and Immigration Law (Part 3 of 3)

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I examined and reacted to several sections of Jenny Hwang’s recent guest column in Christianity Today titled “Arizona’s Border Crisis“. Specifically, I focused on those issues raised and hypothetical scenarios given that could impact not only the illegal immigrants themselves but their families and the churches/organizations who minister to the needs — spiritual & otherwise — of the illegals and their families. In this third post, I wanted to say a bit more about the concerns raised and address the larger issue of the proper Christian response in these matters.

First, let’s return to the article — specifically, the very first paragraphs, which say:

In January, I ate at the home of an immigrant family in Phoenix in which the dad recently became a Christian because of the hardships he has endured while living in the U.S. The undocumented immigrant father has been attending church every week to draw closer to God because he lives in fear of being separated from his two young children, who are U.S. citizens. He feels torn about living in the United States illegally, but he also feels that God has called him to stay in the United States for a reason and struggles every day to reconcile those two feelings.

This man considered moving his family back to Mexico because life was so hard in Phoenix, but was concerned about his two young children who would go back to a country they never knew. They fed us generously with freshly made tortillas and pulled pork as the children ran around the yard, yelling at each other in a mix of Spanish and English, much like the children of any immigrant parents who grow up blessed by knowing two cultures.

During the same visit, my colleague met an undocumented immigrant woman named Maria whose son was killed by a drunk driver; she cannot press charges because of her undocumented status.”

The first thing one thinks is, “Oh, those poor souls. They are good people, just trying to make it through their already difficult lives. These terrible laws that make them hide their illegal — I mean, undocumented — status just add to the stress and threaten them and their families.”

Maybe the father left an even more dangerous or difficult situation back in Mexico, maybe not. Either way, he knew what he was getting into, or at least had a good idea, when he decided to cross the border illegally. So did Maria, who tragically lost her son. They knew the risks. They must, therefore, be prepared to deal with the difficulties of living where they are not supposed to be. Because they did not seek citizenship through legal channels, they do not get the benefits and privileges of living here as legal residents or naturalized citizens.

Of course, Ms. Hwang and others use these kinds of stories to pull at the heartstrings, stir the readers’ emotions, so that they are primed to “stand up for the oppressed” against those who would cause them pain. This is the rhetorical technique called “pathos”. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by it.

You may think I’m being cold, that I’m insensitive to the plight of many immigrants who flee to the U.S. for any number of reasons, but mostly to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones. But, I’m not. I understand it very well, and if I were in their shoes, I might decide to risk it, too. Nevertheless, if you do the crime, you should be willing to do the time, pay the fine, endure hardship on you & your loved ones, or some combination thereof. It’s the price you pay. We are all responsible for our actions.

I think part of the difficulty some people have in taking this seriously is that the crime in question seems so harmless by itself. In fact, people take great risks and pay all they have (usually to “coyotes”, who smuggle them in and often demand more payment once here) to come over. They just want a better life, after all. But, there are good reasons for a sovereign state to want to monitor and limit those whom it lets in, especially for permanent residence and to partake of the freedoms and protections and other benefits in a democratic, free-market nation like the United States. Even if the immigrant in question is not guilty of past crimes, it seems to me that the first step in proving s/he is ready to assimilate and abide by the laws of the nation they want to become a part of is to follow the laws for getting in. (As my soon-to-be sister-in-law is doing.)

I understand the desire to help these people — i.e., those whose only crime was to cross the border without proper documentation. (I’m ignoring any minor violations of traffic safety or civic regulation, for now.) And, I especially understand the desire of churches who feel they have a duty to help those in need, etc. But, what if it was a different crime? What if the individuals in question were all guilty of theft? Or, fraud? Would you still feel obligated to help them avoid the authorities? Should a church help such individuals become integrated into the local community? (In fact, one could argue that illegal aliens living & working in the U.S. are guilty of fraud & theft, since they often obtain fake identities and take advantage of things like free healthcare and education, which are funded by taxpaying citizens.)

One might be tempted to bring up the biblical example of the Hebrew midwives who lied to Pharaoh about why they wouldn’t/couldn’t kill newborn Hebrew boys, because it served a higher purpose. Or, similarly, Corrie Ten Boom and her family hid Jews in their home and lied to the Nazis. In both cases, they were breaking the law in order to help the “oppressed”. But, these are not good analogies or valid excuses. Remember, the laws in question were by evil & corrupt rulers/governments and demanded that the babies/Jews be put to death (or, possibly, sent to horrible concentration camps, in the latter case).

Or, one might refer to New Testament instruction to love your neighbor, minister to others, etc. (Even to your enemy, to some degree.) Don’t these illegal immigrants qualify for this humane treatment? Shouldn’t good Christians help them out, too? Well, yes and no. It’s one thing to provide someone with a hot meal, treat wounds and/or sickness, maybe even give them a blanket or clothing. Those are immediate needs for basic survival. But, ongoing aid would be wrong. To my mind, it would be akin to aiding & abetting a fugitive. (Do churches get special privileges when it comes to giving aid & comfort? Something classified under “sanctuary” or some such thing? I don’t know.)

Ultimately, I suppose, it’s a matter of conscience, but that conscience also needs to be properly informed and prepared to pay the penalty. If someone knowingly shelters illegal aliens in their basement, or transports them somewhere with the intent of helping them stay longer as undocumented residents in the U.S., for example, they have no right to cry foul if they get caught, fined, jailed, and/or their vehicle impounded. We are a nation of laws, and those laws must be heeded, whether you think they are stupid or unfair or whatever. For Christians, I think the N.T. makes it clear that we are to obey the laws of the land unless those laws require doing something clearly contrary to God’s moral laws. It would have to be pretty clear and pretty serious, and I don’t think helping illegal aliens to remain here illegally meets those conditions. The better course of action is to work within the system to improve the laws and make it easier for decent, hard-working people who want to become Americans (and not just take advantage of living here) to immigrate here legally.

Then, we can greet our new neighbors with open arms, open hearts, and open homes.

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Agree? Disagree? Think I’m an uncaring clod? Am I thwarting the Gospel? Care to add something I left out, or posit a different argument? All (civil) comments welcome…

Church, Family, and Immigration Law (Part 2 of 3)

In my last post (Part 1), I examined some of the issues brought up by Jenny Hwang in her recent Christianity Today article, “Arizona Border Crisis”. So far, I’ve been less than impressed with her research and reasoning. Let’s continue…

This law should trouble conservatives because it greatly broadens the government mandate and could add a fiscal burden to the state. In some studies, for example, the setup and operational costs of having local and state immigration enforcement programs has been $4.8 to $5 million a year. Also, many churches that minister to immigrants by integrating them as the newest members of society may be charged with carrying out unlawful activity.”

This is an odd paragraph for a number of reasons. What does she mean, exactly, about this law broadening the government mandate? It does put some more responsibility on Arizona law officers/agents, but it’s certainly within their purview as members of Law Enforcement. Essentially, they are picking up some of the slack, due to the federal government’s apparent (intentional?) apathy on the matter. Financial considerations are certainly appropriate when budgeting resources, I agree. And large programs & projects do cost a lot of money. When it comes to enforcing the law, though, I would think safety/security and justice should take priority. Plus, by just throwing those numbers out by themselves, she isn’t really making much of a case. (I’ll address that third sentence in a moment.)

Illegal Immigrant at Church (borrowed from NY Times)

And, again, the problem isn’t with immigrants, per se. Ours is a nation of immigrants, after all — the Great Melting Pot. The problem is with those who decide it is OK to break our nation’s laws to get here and then complain when we have the nerve to punish and/or send them back. Those are the risks you take.

…While the majority of Americans want to end illegal immigration, targeting families and churches that are ministering to the strangers in their midst is a step backward in addressing illegal immigration by preventing the integration of the newcomers, restricting the churches’ ability to share the Gospel with these new neighbors, and deterring focus off of effective solutions that will fix the broken immigration system.”

I could be wrong, but I really don’t think there are grounds to say that families and churches are being “targeted”, as in legislators conspiring to use enforcement of immigration law as a means of harassing immigrant families and interfering with the work of the churches that minister to them. I doubt that anyone’s sharing of the Gospel was in mind when crafting the bill; nor were they thinking “Let’s bust up some Latino families and cause them some misery!” I don’t read minds, but I’m pretty sure. Alarming readers of these “unintended consequences” borders (pardon the pun) on fear-mongering. As I’ve pointed out in Part 1 and earlier posts/comments, most of the proposed scenarios for potential harassment and arrests of church & family members are unfounded. And, if the “newcomers” arrived here illegally, then their integration should be prevented, before family & societal ties become stronger, which is precisely the kind of thing liberals (and tenderhearted conservatives) point to as a reason for granting amnesty.

In the early 1800s, when Irish immigrants were coming in boatloads to America’s shores, they were scorned and discriminated against, and encountered many difficulties finding jobs.  Many stores had signs that said ‘No Irish Need Apply’ in their windows. These new Americans were initially not welcomed because they were different from the Anglo-Saxon, Protestant Americans who had settled the land before them. When we look back on previous immigrants who came to the U.S. and consider the unwelcoming environment to which they first arrived, it is also important to remember that these immigrants’ descendants are considered full-blooded Americans who integrated and contributed to our country in immeasurable ways.”

The fact that they were “scorned and discriminated against” is, indeed, shameful. I would add that the anti-Irish attitude was not just because they were “different from the Anglo-Saxon, Protestant Americans” that preceded them but also because they were seen as competition for the existing jobs. Sadly, that’s an “immigrant issue”, no matter where they come from; but, it’s really beside the point, here. Those immigrants (for the most part) came over legally and (for the most part) did their best to assimilate and become productive members of American society, which is why their descendants had the opportunities to make the wonderful contributions that they have.

Let me try to give the short version of her argument… Nineteenth-century Irish immigrants to the U.S. were scorned and discriminated against, just like today’s Hispanic (and other) immigrants. Those Irish immigrants had descendants who became productive American citizens, just as today’s immigrants will. Therefore,… what? We should be lax with our immigration laws and ignore whether or not immigrants are here legally or not? Why? So we have the opportunity to share the Gospel with them, perhaps? That’s a non sequitur. Even if the Irish immigrants in question came here illegally, OR if the law was anti-immigrants in general, Ms. Hwang’s implied conclusions just do not logically follow. (If I’m missing something or misrepresenting her case, please let me know.)

This new Arizona law highlights the need for the White House to lead, and for Congress to enact, comprehensive immigration reform that will increase border security, provide more responsive legal avenues through which future workers can come to the U.S., and require undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. to earn the right to stay in this country while paying appropriate penalties.”

On this, at least, we can largely agree. I’m all for the White House showing leadership on this matter, as long as it is responsible leadership that respects our immigration laws and the principles behind them. Increased border security is definitely an immediate needed. I’m not sure what Ms. Hwang has in mind for these “more responsive legal avenues”. Eliminating some bureaucratic red tape could be helpful, for example, but I hesitate to promote making American citizenship easily attainable. It is a privilege, and those not fortunate enough to have been born here should be willing to go through some hoops to gain it.

It is amazing to me the number of people who seem to think that anyone should have the right to go live wherever they want. It’s a naive view of the world that seems to be ignorant of things like national/state sovereignty and national interests, economic considerations, etc. And, once here, many seem to think that the government owes them, that they are entitled to many rights & privileges. Gee, I wonder who gave them that idea…? (Any of them ever tried slipping into Mexico or Cuba or China and demanding, like, anything? “Sure, buddy, here’s some gruel and a cold, rat-infested, 6×6 cell. And if you complain, consider yourself volunteered for the next public execution.” The nicer countries will probably just ignore you and let you fend for yourself.)

As for that last bit, I’m glad Ms. Hwang added those last four words. I’m not for blanket amnesty (obviously), but neither do I think every illegal immigrant should just be kicked out of the country forthwith without regard for things like family status, criminal record (or lack thereof) both here and in their native country, employment history, job skills & education, “extenuating circumstances”, etc. I would probably be more strict than Ms. Hwang, but perhaps some sort of multi-point system can be developed to determine who goes, who stays, who spends time in jail & how long, who pays fines & how much, etc.

When it comes down to it, the first commonsense step in such “reform” is to enforce the laws, federal and state, that are already in place. And that’s exactly what the new Arizona law is trying to do.

As for Ms. Hwang, I hope her other writings are better researched and more carefully reasoned and written.

My final comments are now available in Part 3.