A Biblical Response to Detaining the Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant
In our present situation in the United States, we are witnessing unjust actions taking place by ICE, which are incarcerating many people based on racial profiling and then determining later if they are United States citizens, have committed crimes, or are underage. As citizens of this country, each of us is forced to confront fears, untruths, and prejudices. Amid this ethical crisis, God calls people of faith to respond to our nation’s political and legal decisions through the lens of faith. It is vital that we learn our terminology and then compare the terms and actions with an eye on the Biblical stories.
First, a refugee is “A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.” There are many Biblical examples of refugees. Adam and Eve are forced out of the Garden and are refugees in a harsh world (Gen. 3:22-24). Because of famine, “So Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land” (Gen. 12:1). Likewise, “Joseph brings his brothers to Pharaoh and they are welcomed and given jobs” (Gen. 47:1-6). Isaiah 16:4 commands, “Be a refuge to the outcasts of Moab.” These are a few examples of God blessing and guiding refugees.
Second, an immigrant is “A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign land.” Biblical examples also abound for the immigrant. In Psalm 137:1-6, the immigrants cried, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept…How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” The faithful had to find relevance in Babylon and found it with God’s help. In II Chronicles 2:17-18, Solomon took a census of all the aliens and assigned them work. If King Solomon could look with compassion upon the immigrant and embrace them, how can we do anything less?!
Third, a migrant is “A person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions.” Ex. 12:37-39 reminds us that the Israelites were driven out of Egypt so quickly that they had no time to make provisions and had to bake unleavened cakes of bread. Lev. 24:23 warns, “With me you are but aliens and tenants.” We, too, are migrants in God’s world. Deut. 26:5 reminds the faithful, “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor…”. As people of faith, we all come from a migrant ancestry. King David, likewise, reminds us of our migrant faith in 1 Chr. 29:14-15, where he shares with God, “We are aliens and transients before you…”. The Apostle Paul binds us as one with the migrant in Eph. 2:11-22, where he proclaims, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.” To deny support to the migrant is to deny our past and insult God’s call for us as God’s disciples.
To celebrate our nation’s ICE actions, we run the risk of insulting God. In Hebrews 13:1-2, the author reminds the faithful to “…show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels…”. ICE agents and those who applaud their actions may have abused God’s angels. We should not take these abuses lightly. 1 Jn. 3:18 warns, “…Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” Each ICE detainee found innocent of crimes other than being a refugee, immigrant, or migrant, and treated as a criminal, denies God’s love command.
In our society and throughout history, we’ve been faced with the temptation of idolatry. When national law and God’s law are at odds, it is an act of idolatry to follow national law. Divine justice is proclaimed and weeded out when the faithful choose human law over God’s law. National cruelty, prejudice, and injustice will require a holy response. God will reprimand unjust leadership but will also address those whose heart affirms unfaithful actions.
Our task, as God’s people, is to take action to influence our political leaders to lead with compassion, justice, and mutual respect. To remain silent is to be as culpable as those who put on their ICE jackets, facemasks, and tackle, beat, and detain the innocent. We should return to entrusting our security and laws to local police forces, who know their communities and have done their jobs admirably, to keep our streets safe and give criminals due process before imprisonment. Only when national laws and God’s laws are harmonious can justice and peace be fulfilled.