Just Living: Immigration

The issue of immigration, specifically illegal immigration, was brought to the forefront once again in 2010 when Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the nation’s toughest bill on illegal immigration into law. The purpose of this legislation was to identify, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants. There were widespread protests leading up to and following the signing of this bill and it once again brought national attention to this debate.

In 2009, there were 35.5 million foreign-born residents in the United States. This roughly translated to 12.5 percent of the population and included both documented and undocumented individuals. Of these 35.5 million people, 10.8 million were unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. The majority of these undocumented individuals were Latinos and Asians, who constituted more than 75 percent of all U.S. immigrants. More specifically, in 2009 Latinos accounted for more than 53 percent of foreign-born residents living in the U.S. while more than 27 percent of immigrants were from Asia. Europe was responsible for 12.7 percent of foreigners.

At the state level, those with the highest foreign-born populations include California (25.8 percent), New York (10.8 percent), Texas (10.3 percent), and Florida (9.0 percent). Arizona, despite its newly passed legislation which seeks to curb illegal immigration in the state, has a foreign-born population of only 2.4 percent.

Minnesota has a small but rapidly growing immigrant population relative to the rest of the United States. In 2008, there were 386,380 foreign-born Minnesotans comprising only 7.4 percent of the state population. Of these foreign-born individuals, 38 percent entered the U.S. in the past decade and 45 percent of them were naturalized citizens in 2008. In the Twin Cities, 10.3 percent of the population was considered foreign born in 2008.

Much of the current debate in the U.S. concerning immigration is focused specifically on illegal immigration and jobs. Some assert that the large number of illegal immigrants take away jobs from U.S. citizens and keep wages low in low-skill jobs. Others state that our economy would not be able to survive without these individuals who often perform difficult, blue-collar jobs. Regardless of one’s position on this issue, these individuals are present in our nation and consequently, we must examine the Scriptures to determine what God’s opinion is on the matter. When we do this we find that the bible is filled with passages that speak about God’s desire concerning the treatment of aliens and foreigners:

“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21)

“When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.” (Leviticus 19:33)

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien.” (Leviticus 23:22)

“The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.” (Ezekiel 22:29)

“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” (Matthew 25:35)

The Scriptures are filled throughout with verses that command us to treat the alien and foreigner in our midst with compassion and mercy. Thus, regardless of whether we believe immigration laws should be more stringent or relaxed, we must adhere to this mandate in Scripture that commands us treat these individuals in our nation with love and respect.

For more information concerning this issue please visit the following websites:
Sojourners: http://www.sojo.net/action/alerts/CCIR_toolkit.pdf
This toolkit investigates and presents the issue of immigration from a Christian perspective.

BorderLinks: http://www.borderlinks.org/
BorderLinks is a ministry committed to raising awareness and inspiring action at the Mexico and United States border. Their programs focus on cross-border relationships, formation of community, economic development and social justice.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/immigration.shtm
Provides statistics from 2009 concerning the legal permanent resident population and the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States.

Economic History Association: http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/cohn.immigration.us
Insight into the history of immigration in the United States and its economic impact.

The Minneapolis Foundation: http://www.minneapolisfoundation.org/CommunityIssues/ImmigrantsandRefuge...
The Minneapolis Foundation works to promote constructive dialogue on the issue of immigration in Minnesota.

The Economic Impact of Immigrants in Minnesota: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/kfennelly/pdf/eco_impacts_report_2010.pdf
Report released by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in 2010 detailing the economic impact of immigrants in the state of Minnesota.

Image from flickr.