SOME THOUGHTS ON THE MIGRANT CRISIS

I was asked to give a Christian response to the border crisis. Of course, immigration reform is necessary. However, presently we must enforce the laws that we now have. While we Christians have a responsibility for all people, here are some thoughts to guide Christian compassion:

1.    Christian compassion must begin at home or it will create bitterness. What if I was to love all wives and children as my own? This would create bitterness and impede other attempts to love. It would also make my love seem vacuous and hypocritical.

2.    We cannot reward evil. God does not bless the unrepentant (Luke 13:1-5); nor should we. God has ordained government (Romans 13:1-5) and even borders and national sovereignty (Acts 17:26-27). He even thwarted man’s attempt at creating a one world government (Genesis 10). He also commanded us to respect our government (1 Peter 2). Many of the caravans have already proven that they refuse to respect our laws and prefer to forcefully break into our country. To allow in those who refuse to respect our laws is to put our citizens in jeopardy. Meanwhile, there are already many illegals in our country. I would suggest that Christian mercy start with these illegals.

3.    To aid and abet the entry of the caravan is to resist the legitimate concerns of our national leaders and the rule of law.

4.    To reward those who will break the law because of public opinion or the pressures that the migrants are exerting is to undermine the rule of law. It sends the wrong message. It says that we are willing to capitulate to those who are unwilling to respect the law. It also says that the violent and forceful will get their way while the ordinary citizen or asylum-seeker will not. This represents the undoing of justice, the equal application of the law to all. It will breed defensiveness and fear instead of trust and respect. This will inevitably create cynicism and contempt for the law and the institutions that are supposed to maintain it, and will it eventually lead to collapse if unchecked. When people do not trust the system, they will take the law into their own hands.

5.    To allow one migrant caravan is to invite many more. We cannot coherently refuse the next caravans once we allow the first. We would again be sending the wrong message.

6.    Indiscriminately allowing in un-vetted migrants is equivalent to allowing out of prison convicted criminals. This represents neither Christian love or justice.

7.    A borderless world is a world of disorder and instability. It is an unfounded dream of human togetherness, peace, and a refusal to regard the lessons of history and the many bloody attempts to create an international workers’ paradise. The scent of weakness is an invitation to the violent.

8.    Walls and self-defense have been part of every civilization. They were certainly part of Israel. If our government is acting immorally by demanding the rule of law and defending their citizens, we might have cause to resist it. However, our government is merely doing what all governments have been understandably doing – resisting evil and invasion. They deserve our support.