As a Christian, I have struggled for a long time with the immigration debate that is happening in the United States. 

I have spent a few months in other countries, and I know that if I was born in a place like Nicaragua or Haiti, I would pray for the strength to improve the situation of my family.  There is opportunity here in the United States that exists in very few other places around the world.  What kind of father would I be if I ignored the chance to make my wife and daughter’s life safer in every way by moving to the United States?  

From my safety here on the other side of the border, I approached the immigration issue as “It’s the law, and God has told us to follow the law of the land.”  I felt like even though empathy and compassion were telling me that we should welcome immigrants, the bible was telling me to obey the law. 

It never felt quite right to me though.  So I didn’t speak up for either side of the argument.  I left the issue undecided in my mind, and continued to revisit it as the news brought it to my attention.  I believe in a Holy Spirit that speaks to us and guides us, and I have to think that was the dissatisfied voice I kept hearing.  

I continued in this state of fog for many years.  It was not very many months ago when I finally had a breakthrough that helped clear the confusion I had around the issue.  

“What if the law is wrong?“

I have never heard a pastor argue that those who live in a place where Christianity was illegal should not become Christians. 

I have never heard a Christian argue that abortion is legal, so it must always be acceptable regardless of circumstance.  

I have not once (in my lifetime) heard a Christian argue that slavery should still be permitted.  

All of these things have at one time or another been the law of the land. 

The word of the bible is to obey the authorities, but our interpretation of that command is “except when the human law contradicts the laws of God”.  There is no one verse that specifically gives us this exception, no verse that explicitly states “Obey the law, unless God says it’s okay to break it”.   We do however learn this truth by listening to the stories of Paul, arrested for his faith, Steven martyred for his beliefs, Daniel thrown in the lion’s den to be devoured, and the 3 men who were thrown in the fiery furnace for refusing to bow to a king.  Those faithful are celebrated for their disobedience to the law. 

We also see how Jesus approaches those who followed every jot and tittle of the law, but ignored mercy. 

I do understand that there is a legal pathway for those who want to come to the United States.  I also know that it isn’t fast, easy, or fair.  I know several families who have been seeking legal status for one or more of their members for multiple years.   One of these families specifically left a country which has since descended into chaos and is ruled by gangs with no regard for human life.  There is a very good chance that at least one of the members of this family would have been murdered if they had not fled the country in question.  One other family I know of personally has spent multiple thousands of dollars trying to get legal status for one of their members, and they have had to start all over again under the new administration.  There is no guarantee that they will ever succeed.  Other families I know of who have stayed in their home countries have lost family members to medical issues that could have been fixed if they could have accessed the healthcare system of the United States or another more developed nation. 

The more I thought about this idea that the law could be wrong, the more I realized the law isn’t just wrong, but it’s wrong on purpose. 

This law is intentionally unjust. 

You’ve all heard someone tell you to “follow the money” when something doesn’t seem right.  So I did.  I asked myself who is really benefiting from the difficulty we have created for those who want to become citizens. 

Undocumented workers have no legal protections.  There is no minimum wage, there is no unemployment protection, and there is very little they can do when their employer treats them unfairly.  There are no whistle-blower protections for the undocumented.  If they speak up against unfair or unsafe working conditions, they can be detained or deported.  If they are raped, who can they turn to?  If they are beaten, what recourse do they have?  Sure they can choose not to go back to that employer, but that employer can just go find another person to abuse in their place. 

Employers of undocumented workers don’t have to pay minimum wage, they don’t have to provide for the health and safety of their workers, and they don’t have to be particularly kind or fair to those who work for them.  Employers of the undocumented don’t have to pay payroll taxes, they don’t have to provide benefits such as healthcare or retirement plans.  Child labor laws don’t apply to children with no documents.  Employers of the undocumented are able to hold the threat of deportation over the heads of those they employ, coercing even more work and obedience for less pay.  

The current immigration laws are not just allowing a form of slavery to exist in our country, they are incentivizing it.  

Immigration reform has been a ballot issue for decades.  There is a reason we have not fixed the system, those at the top of the system benefit the most from its brokenness.  

The largest problems in the world are often not solved in a single law.  The 13th amendment didn’t end slavery in the United States, it just demanded that we must end it. The work of ending slavery is ongoing.   Immigration reform is a next step to setting people free from the depredation of the wicked and the rich. 

What if instead of villainizing the undocumented, we created laws that simplified the process of becoming documented?  

What if we stopped listening to those who benefit most from injustice and exploitation, and instead sought liberty and justice for all. 

What if we brought the legal system to bear against those who hire illegally instead of those they hired?  

What if we pursued justice for those who have been wronged, even when they themselves have done wrong? 

I know there are follow-on effects of changes to laws.  I know this post can’t possibly address all of the contingencies or ‘what if’s’ that will come up as a result of changes to our laws.  I also know that many people have already not read this far and won’t ever read this far, so I must stop here. 

I welcome your thoughts and comments, but ask that you include the word ‘bubblegum’ at the beginning or end of your response.  This will be a quick way for me and you to know that the commenter(s) read to the end of this post.  It ensures we are all commenting from the same place, whether you agree with my position or not.  Thank you.