Progressive Christians often rail against conservatives as xenophobes who oppose illegal immigration to maintain their white, evangelical power. These open-border, amnesty-loving activists view themselves as the ones who truly “love their neighbor as themselves.” However, this view of immigration policy is biblically illiterate. Yes, Christians are called to love others, but such love does not include making the U.S. a doormat for foreigners who refuse to go through legal immigration processes and the non-citizens who have committed 33,000 murders, 24,000 kidnappings, 133,000 sex offenses, and 1 million drug offenses from 1964 to 2017.
Progressives often cite a number of Old Testament verses to support amnesty for illegal immigrants—verses that command the Israelites to care for the “stranger” and the “alien” as they would care for themselves. For example, Leviticus 19:34 states, “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
However, neither that verse nor any of these others suggest that Israel should have opened itself to hordes of migrants. The Israelites were commanded to treat immigrants with dignity and care, but there is a clear difference between hospitality for the “stranger” and admitting masses of illegal trespassers.
The Bible makes this distinction in its comments on border security. The book of Nehemiah is primarily centered on Nehemiah’s God-inspired effort to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem after Babylonian exile. Jerusalem was under threat from its neighbors, and God used Nehemiah to reestablish national borders so its people could live in safety. One might say that Nehemiah constructed a border wall to “make Jerusalem great again.”
Likewise, Acts 17:26 explains that God himself is the one who establishes borders: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” Borders are not only established by God, but also guarded by Him. In Exodus 34:12, God promises to “protect your borders so that strangers and enemies will not fill your camp and become a thorn in your side.”
These examples clearly do not support the open-border rhetoric of the far Left. The duty to “love your neighbor as yourself” does not require that millions of migrants illegally overrun the U.S. while receiving an inordinate amount of government benefits and voting in U.S. elections for candidates who enact unbiblical policies.
This is not to say that immigration is against the will of God. There are plenty of Biblical passages about welcoming travelers and treating immigrants with compassion; however, these do not constitute commands against protecting the border.
Securing U.S. borders and caring for our neighbors in need are not mutually exclusive. There are dozens of Christian organizations who provide assistance to those fleeing poverty around the globe, and there is nothing wrong with advocating policies that make immigration easier. However, granting amnesty to illegal immigrants and releasing thousands more into the U.S. without proper vetting is a risk to the lives of Americans and undermines the Judeo-Christian values this country was built on.
It is both possible and proper that we share the love and charity of Christ with all people, regardless of origin, without compromising the national security and sovereignty of the U.S.
The views and opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the values and beliefs of Cogitare Magazine, nor of Grove City College.
