Current Issues: Illegal Immigration

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/illegalmp3/"><strong>website</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>Why immigrants should be welcomed:</strong></p><ul><li>In some of the uncharitable attitudes exhibited in the discussion there is more than a hint of hypocrisy.<ul><li>“Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. / I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” (inscription on the Statue of Liberty)</li><li>We are called to obey the laws of the land, and yet our land (for us Americans) is a nation built of immigrants.</li></ul></li><li>The Bible calls us to love the alien (Leviticus 19:34), because God loves the alien (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).<ul><li>Yes these laws governed a church-state. Under the new covenant, the church is not a political entity.</li><li>The Law of Moses teaches us much about the heart of God, yet it is not a platform for civil law in our time.</li><li>Inflexible policies are rarely in harmony with the principle of love.</li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>Why illegal immigrants should return to their home nations / strive to </strong><i><strong>become </strong></i><strong>legal:</strong></p><ul><li>Lying to immigration authorities can damage one’s conscience. Keeping a clear conscience receives a huge emphasis in the scriptures. Always being “on the run” can erode faith.</li><li>Social services are expensive; somebody has to pay. (And some needs are more legitimate than others.) The scriptures also emphasize pulling one's own weight.</li><li>In most countries there <i>is</i> a way to become a legal resident. It may be better to come clean, plead for clemency, and let God move in his own way.</li></ul><p><strong>On the other hand...</strong></p><ul><li>In some cases, going back to countries of origin is unrealistic or even dangerous (political or religious persecution)!</li><li>The issues are complex. Anyone who denies there are a