Immigration

Immigration

…I was a stranger and you did not welcome me…Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. Matthew 25:43,45

Over the past months I have explored a few significant manifestations of what I call the new/old social pandemic. Thus far I have focused on homelessness and marginalization and now prepare to consider immigration. Each is a social issues nearly as old as humanity itself but now emerges with an unprecedented intensity, spreading as quickly and widely as an infectious disease with no vaccine or easy cure. I think, perhaps, even more important than how society reacts to these social problems is the depth with which we engage the issues and possible responses as individuals. In other words, these are obviously societal problems, but there are also personal choices and spiritual implications involved in how we think and talk about them. At one extreme we can try to ignore them and pretend they do not exist. At the other extreme we can uproot from our current life and go to an infected person or area, roll up our sleeves, and dedicate ourselves to one-on-one deeds of mercy. Most of us sit somewhere between the extremes. Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, however, warn against the extreme of pretending the problems do not exist or that these are only problems out there somewhere. What we do with the least in our lives is what we do to him. How we think about the issues of homelessness, marginalization, and immigration is equally a material and a spiritual concern, both personally and communally.

Immigration is a volatile issue in the United States and elsewhere. Immigration policy and how best to handle the multitudes seeking entry into our country is the source of much division and heated debate – which will only intensify as November’s elections approach. Some migrants are seeking asylum from civil wars, drug or human trafficking, and other types of on-going violence that victimizes innocent persons simply seeking a peaceful existence for themselves and their families. Others hope for opportunities to enhance their life-trajectory that are not available in their homeland. It is difficult to deny these as worthy purposes to seek a fresh start in the United States. And as legal options diminish and/or require too many years to accomplish or too much red-tape to successfully navigate, illegal modes of entry and residence become increasingly attractive. 

If we allow the “illegal” nature of some migration attempts to dominate our personal reasoning, we risk earning the same criticisms Jesus waged against the scribes and Pharisees, who focused on the letter of religious law at the expense the spirit of the law. Jesus preached love, not lawful compliance, even when loving action conflicted with the law. Immigration is infinitely more than a legal issue, although the laws adopted around it are clearly relevant. In other words, as Christians, I don’t believe we can automatically dismiss the needs of those who have crossed our borders “illegally” and demand they be identified and swiftly deported. While there are examples of bad actors trying to escape law enforcement for crimes committed in their home countries, or smuggling illegal drugs across the border, or sex traffickers seeking new markets, we cannot allow ourselves to assume the worst before understanding the stories. Regardless, if we claim Jesus of Nazareth as our model for living, we cannot reject someone because they have done something illegal or immoral. In doing so, we reject Jesus, too.

Immigration processes into the United States, as they currently exist, serve no one well and are in desperate need of rebirth. Necessary resources for receiving and processing legal immigration requests are severely lacking, as are identification and tracking mechanisms for those crossing the border in non-legal ways. The resources of states and service organizations where migrants tend to congregate are stretched to the breaking point. Innocent foreigners risking everything they have for a better, safer life are being held in concentration camps in Mexico or sent back to the conditions they sought refuge from or are being forced to live an illegal existence within our borders and in constant fear of being discovered and deported. It is no way to live, and it is no way for Christians to treat other children of God.

It seems to me our failure to establish a reasonable, compassionate, and fair immigration process results from our propensity to treat our difficult challenges as material problems and ignoring their underlying spiritual foundations. Our standard answer for material problems is to throw money at them, which may calm their intensity for a time, but does not address the underlying problem. Spiritually, we know we are to welcome the stranger, give to the poor, and have compassion for the suffering. If we begin with that as a foundation, what sort of immigration system might emerge?

This is the 25^th in a series titled The New-Old Social Pandemic. The opinions expressed here are mine. To engage with me or to explore contemplative spiritual direction, contact me at ghildenbrand@sunflower.com.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s

Mass on the World

A Contemplative Audio-visual Experience

View at: https://youtu.be/m2EzRmZzCe0