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'Immigrants are Close to God's Heart'

April 22, 2014

CRC Communications

Raul, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was driving his sick child to a Chicago hospital in 2011 when police pulled him over because he had an obstructed license plate, said Matthew Soerens, an author and advocate for the rights of immigrants.

Once they stopped his car, police discovered that Raul (not his real name) was not in this country legally, arrested him and put him in jail for several weeks, Soerens told a luncheon group on Monday at the Christian Reformed Church’s Grand Rapids office. Earlier, he had made a similar presentation in Holland, Mich.

“Immigration authorities ended up putting a hold on him and he was flown to a private detention center in Aurora, Colorado," said Soerens, who makes presentations to groups around the country as leader the Evangelical Immigration Table.

“Raul was eventually released on bond and is now waiting for a trial in 2015 after which he will probably be deported.”

The Evangelical Immigration Table  is a broad coalition of evangelical organizations and leaders advocating for immigration reform consistent with biblical values. The group asks Christians to base their approach to the issue on the many Bible verses that show “immigrants are close to God’s heart,” says Soerens.

One of the first evangelical leaders to support the organization was Rev. Gerard Dykstra when he was serving as executive director of the CRC. Rev. Joel R. Boot, the CRC’s current executive director, has been active in this cause as well.

Soerens says he told the story of Raul, the father of seven children, because it reflects the story of thousands of other immigrants in this country. Every day across the United States, he says, immigrants are being arrested for various reasons and ultimately deported, since the only federal law governing the rights of immigrants is now nearly 40 years old and out of date.

“I know Raul. Two of his children are in my Bible study at my church,” said Soerens. “He is a hard-working man with two jobs as a dishwasher and a bus boy. He works 80 hours a week. He is no threat to society.”

When Raul was in jail for several weeks, members of his church pitched in to help the man’s family — and that was good. It showed compassion and the grace of God working through his people, said Soerens.

But compassion will not be enough, nor will money or the right lawyer be enough, to keep Raul or thousands of other immigrants from being deported.

"There is no legal way for the majority of immigrants to either come into or stay in this country. With immigration, the only solution is legislative."

Preventing a legislative solution are the conflicting views that many people, particularly Democratic and Republican lawmakers, have on the social, economic and political implications of immigration reform.

At least when it comes Christians, there is a way of addressing this issue that goes beyond the social and economic implications and transcends political parties, said Kate Kooyman, who works for the Office of Social Justice and represents the Evangelical Immigration Table in Michigan.

Christians can base their approach to immigration reform by studying the Bible and taking heed of the many stories and the verses that talk about God's commands to care for immigrants, she says.

Soerens said that “immigrants are all through the Bible, always crossing borders. The Israelites who escaped Pharaoh in the Egypt were immigrants.”

Those Christians who oppose immigration reform, he says, may change their minds by carefully reading such verses as Leviticus 19: 33-34: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.”

Or  Matthew 25:35: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…”

By studying these verses, Christians could start to advocate for immigration reform to their legislators in Washington, D.C., says Soerens.

"We may not agree on the political issues, but we can agree on Scripture, encouraging Congress to enact public policy and to do something quickly consistent with our principles,” he says.

The Evangelical Immigration Table does not choose political sides, nor does it throw its support behind particular pieces of legislation, said Soerens.

But it does promote these principles:

  • Protect the God-given dignity of every person
  • Protect the unity of the immediate family
  • Respect the rule of law
  • Guarantee secure national borders
  • Ensure fairness to taxpayers
  • Establish a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents.

Currently in Congress, the Senate has passed legislation on immigration reform and the House is looking at a handful of bills that could address this issue. It is not clear when any resolution will come about, said Soerens.