Aliens Among Us

I was thinking the other day: why aren’t our churches harboring more illegal immigrants? Seriously, what am I missing?

I started thinking this way in Chicago, in the bright classroom of a community college, where I met a group of refugees from Darfur and Sudan. They were all representatives of a coalition they had formed here in the States, designed to reach out to refugees stranded in America, plead their cause, and connect them with their families back home. A group of us had been invited to meet with them to hear their stories and learn about the plight of millions of men, women, and children who remain in the grip of war, hunger, and pestilence around the globe.

I wish I could tell you everything we talked about that day. I wish I could show you their faces. We spent the morning with them, hearing harrowing tales of flights through the forest to escape men with automatic weapons. We heard heart-wrenching stories of wives and children left behind. We even saw the video recording of a mother reunited with her son after more than a year of separation due to violence and political instability. Middle aged men wiped tears from their eyes as they drew maps on the whiteboard and told us of their country’s history (despite the fact that many of us could not locate their home nation on a globe prior to walking into the room). As we were preparing to take a group photo, one majestic young man said to us, “Everyone here always tells us to smile. We do not smile. We do not know how.”

Don’t get me wrong, I am pretty sure these men were all in the country legally. But in speaking with them, I realized just how many people aren’t. I could picture them in my head, masses of people fighting their way out of death and destruction and, by some miracle, making it into our borders. Having escaped with only the clothes on their backs, they had no time to wait for proper clearance. Or perhaps they just stepped over our border when no one was looking, or rode into the country under a tarp in a flatbed truck, or arrived in a shipping container. Regardless of the circumstances, these people are leaving their homeland and coming to us. That in itself is more complex than people realize.

I understand global politics about as much as a penguin understands global warming, but I am struck by the absurdity of arresting these survivors and sending them back to the hell they came from. Even if they don’t come from war-torn countries in Africa, the truth is that most illegal immigrants come here to escape adverse conditions in their home country. I have a hard time finding fault with that.

Naive, eh? Here are a few reasons why my house will become a miniature sanctuary city.

Reason Number 1: Because of My Green Card

I think I am more inclined to look after immigrants because I’m not a citizen of this country either. Not really, anyway.

When Paul says in Philippians 3 that believers are citizens of heaven, he does not mean that when we finish life here on earth, we will move to heaven. That is probably true in some way or another, but focusing on our eventual, otherworldly escape causes us to miss the point. Paul means that believers are citizens of heaven, colonizing this planet in anticipation of the arrival of our imperial Lord Jesus who will eventually come from heaven to earth to establish His final reign. We are heaven-people infiltrating this country, awaiting the day when the King will come back. And, we play by a different set of rules than everyone else.

God has always called His people to seek the well-being of aliens, strangers, and sojourners. God Himself “defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:18; see also Psalm 9:9; 146:9). God always roots for the underdog, and He commands His people to do the same. Somehow, we totally forget passages like this. Upon meeting an immigrant, our first question is never, “How can I help this person and provide for them in their time of turmoil?” Instead, we ask, “Have they followed the procedure put in place by the temporal, worldly institution that is our government?”

In Leviticus 19:33-34, we read God’s instructions to Israel regarding their treatment of outsiders: “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.” All of God’s people are called to “defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed” (Psalm 82:3). I know there was no INS back then, but if there was such an entity, perhaps God would have discouraged His people from alerting the agency to the presence of strangers.

Jesus identifies closely with refugees, probably because He lived as a refugee Himself. Remember that story, when He and His family fled to Egypt to escape the wrath of a tyrant? Jesus identifies so closely with refugees in fact that He will take the plight of the wandering stranger into account on Judgment Day, saying, “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… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to me” (See Matthew 25:31-46 for the whole story). Jesus is most likely talking about the care of other Christians (having called His disciples “brothers” in other instances). But He undoubtedly taught and demonstrated care for the outcast throughout His life.

And part of the determination of our faithfulness in the final day will involve our treatment of the sojourner. When we are standing before the Righteous Judge of the World and He asks us why we ignored the plight of His brother, the alien, I don’t think our silly immigration laws are going to impress Him much. “Sorry, Jesus. I wanted to help you out in Your time of need, but the immigration laws in my country prohibited it.”

If there is a naked guy, give him some clothes. If there is a hungry guy, give him some food. Be hospitable to strangers, visit the sick and imprisoned, and defend the cause of the powerless. No need to check their green card, just follow the commands of King Jesus. When we waste time and energy defending the status quo, our international brothers and sisters often fall by the wayside.

Reason Number 2: Because of That Time I Lost My Football

“Wait,” cry the masses, “We cannot help illegal aliens! They are criminals!”

That may sound like a caricature, but I’ve heard people say it. Many people believe that immigrants who cross our borders are criminals. After all, they are “illegal” aliens. Let me ask you this: if “illegal” immigrants are criminals, what is their offense? I’ve thought about this one for a while, and though I am no Ally McBeal, I have come to my conclusion: they are guilty of trespassing.

You know, trespassing. The same thing you did as a kid when you jumped the neighbor’s fence to get your football. Don’t you remember times in your life when you crossed borders without permission to seek better conditions for yourself? I guess that makes you a criminal, too.

I am not trying to say that immigrants lead perfect lives or that they never commit crimes within our borders. Of course they do, just like any other population. But let’s face it: the only thing we really have against “illegal” immigrants is that they have the audacity to set foot where they are not wanted. They have the nerve and ambition to seek the same standard of living we have and that makes us mad.

Most of them come here in search of better lives; so naturally, when they arrive, we treat them like thieves and rapists, crossing to the other side of the street when we pass them by. Or we protest and hold obscene, crudely constructed signs and demand that they go back where they came from. Or we talk about building a massive wall to keep people away from us. And some of us even advocate such things under the guise of Christ-likeness.

Trespassing is the only real charge, unless of course you want to launch into a rant about immigrants “not even speaking our language,” or their malicious efforts to steal our jobs, or their being dirtier or lazier or more dangerous than we are. You can talk about those things if you want, but I will not dignify you with a response. I try to not to answer a fool in his folly.

Lest you appear wise, however, imagine if you were uprooted from your home by violence or poverty and dropped into a foreign country with no connections and no job. How long would it take you to learn a new language?

Tomorrow, if some crazy dictator overthrew our government and began killing people, and you fled to Mexico, wouldn’t you like to be welcomed there? I have been criticized more than once for the simplicity of this statement. But, that’s okay, I’m not out to impress anybody.

Reason Number 3: Because I am an anarchist…apparently.

That was sarcasm, if you’re wondering. I am not an anarchist. But I have been accused more than once of failing to submit to the governing authorities. Some of you read the last section and jumped from your chair shouting, “Romans 13 says to submit to the government!”

A pastor I worked with in New York City encountered this quandary. After working closely with some families who had been attending his church, he realized that several of them were in the country illegally. Should he turn them in? Should he part ways with them?

I understand that it is important to situate ourselves in a submissive posture below those whom God has placed over us. That is very important. But, the standard in Romans 13 does not suggest that we must blindly obey the laws put in place by the worldly authorities.

What if there was a law against feeding the hungry? Would you break it? How about a law against clothing the naked? You would break that too. So why do we pay so much attention to laws that may or may not influence our care for wandering strangers? Compassion, mercy, hospitality: these are basic Christian principles, Discipleship 101. Why do we let politics cloud the issue?

Again, our identity as Kingdom people takes precedence over our identity as Americans. While it is nice to help out the government when possible, it is far more important to operate by the principles Jesus taught us. Sure, give Caesar what’s his; but above all, give Jesus what belongs to Him. So what if the United States has immigration laws? God has laws too, and all of them hang on the principles of loving God and loving people.

Besides, does helping a brother or sister in need necessarily mean that we are subverting the government? I don’t think so. We are merely recognizing our unique identity as the church.

Suppose I meet an illegal alien on the street. (For the sake of argument, I know he’s illegal because he is holding a big cardboard sign in front of him that says, “Hi, everybody! I am here illegally!”) He has fled his home country to seek refuge from poverty, disease, and war. Or maybe he just wanted to move. Regardless, he is hungry, he has no place to stay, and he has only the clothes on his back.

If Uncle Sam wants to pick him up and kick him out of the country, fine. Go ahead, Sam. Do your thing. I won’t stop you. But what Uncle Sam decides to do with this man has absolutely no bearing on my commitment to my fellow man.

So, when I find myself standing face to face with someone from outside one of our artificial borders, I’ll buy the guy a cheeseburger. I’ll make sure he has a place to stay for the night. And if he gets sick, I’ll make sure he gets the attention he needs. I’ll play with his kids and help them with homework and eat with the family and invite them to church. I’ll help teach him English and learn about his culture. I will listen when he speaks, and look him in the eye, and treat Him as the Image-bearer he is. Maybe I’ll even let him stay in my spare bedroom until he gets on his feet.

I’ll do all this, not because he is my fellow American, but because he is my neighbor. That used to be enough.