Respecting the Law, Loving the Stranger

There are strongly held beliefs about the new state law targeting illegal immigration, on both sides, within the Parish. I don’t claim to speak for anyone but myself. I suspect that both sides will find something in this post with which to disagree. But my position is based on my love of country, and my love of God. That is a base I hope we can all stand on.

The United States of America is the first nation not to have been based on a common ethnic heritage. The first immigrants may have been from England. But the foundation of our country is not English blood but this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” That’s not all Englishmen, but all men.

Countless people of all ethnic backgrounds, skin color and languages have come to this country because they believed that they too could be Americans. We have been enriched by their gifts. But earlier immigrants had to cross an ocean to get here. In the last 30-something years, millions of people have crossed the porous land border between Mexico and the U.S. They have come for the same reasons that other immigrants have come to this country: to improve themselves, and the lives of their descendants. It is the ideals that make us a nation, not race.

Anyone wishing to affirm those ideals can become an American citizen. But “We the People of the United States” are right to expect those who would be one of us to accept, not only the rights, but the responsibilities, of American citizenship. Illegal immigrants have put themselves in an unsustainable position. Their economic services are in demand, but they cannot be assimilated as American citizens. They are neither resident aliens, with the understanding that their residence here is temporary. Nor are they able to make a permanent home in this country.

It is reasonable for Americans to want to see their laws enforced, and their borders made secure. Measures to enforce the immigration laws are also reasonable. My personal opinion is that such enforcement should be coupled with a path to legalization for those immigrants who come forward, pay a penalty, and can prove that they are not a threat to society. The new law in Alabama is all stick, and no carrot.

I’ve been speaking as an American citizen. But we are also citizens of another kingdom. “In Jesus Christ our Lord you have received us as sons and daughters [and] made us citizens of your kingdom.” (Book of Common Prayer, p.381). What are our responsibilities as citizens of God’s kingdom? At least one is to accept the guidance of the Word of God spoken through Holy Scripture. This is what God spoke to the people of Israel through Moses: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God. (Leviticus 19:34).

There is one difference between the U.S. and Israel. To be a citizen of Israel was to be descended from the 12 sons of Jacob. Immigrants from other lands could never become Israelites. Israelites were to treat their immigrants as citizens because they could never be citizens. But the Israelites themselves were descended from immigrants, Abraham and Sarah, who were strangers in the land of Canaan. And the Israelites were commanded to love and respect the immigrants among them in the former land of Canaan, which God had allowed them to conquer.

As Americans, we are citizens in a land which we were allowed to take from its natives. As Christians, we are citizens of a kingdom which knows no boundaries between nations. To be a citizen of the kingdom of God is to be part of a kingdom in which all races and languages are being restored to unity with God and each other. (BCP, p.855). As Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles [or Anglos and Hispanics] into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us…So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:14-19).

As Americans, it is proper to enforce our immigration laws in an effective way. As Christians, we are called to love the “stranger” before us, however they got here. We are not exempt from the requirements of Leviticus 19:34, or Ephesians. As Americans, let us enforce our laws, while making it possible for those who wish to become responsible residents or citizens to do so. As Christians, let us love the stranger in need.