Compassionate Immigrationism

The debate over immigration reform begins this week as Federal elected officials begin what are sure to be knock-down, drag-out, good old-fashioned donnybrooks over comprehensive immigration legislation that seek to address the legal status of an estimated 12 to 14 million undocumented workers now in the country. And while immigration reform hangs in the balance, Christians across the vast American firmament are coming to grips on how to reconcile the biblical mandate to show kindness and love for the stranger while maintaining strict law and order.

Throughout history, variegated cultural and social changes have influenced immigration trends so much that our current law is no longer applicable or workable, but I am convinced that new immigration reform can be a humane and effective expression of law even though t he current debate has affirmed for me that America's cultural and social priorities have so split the public order that many no longer seek to reinforce Christian values of compassion, mercy and love for our fellow man. I know this last statement will evoke feelings of exasperation from those focused on building walls, mobilizing the National Guard to the border, and deporting every undocumented person out of America because they sense I don't get it. Well I do. If you have paid attention, everyone agrees that the problem of illegal immigration in America needs to be addressed by a system that is secure, orderly and fair, and that our elected leadership need to put aside animosity and amnesty to advance comprehensive immigration. We must work to make America a lawful, economically prosperous and welcoming society. That also means we must be firm on border security as it is a basic responsibility of any sovereign nation to stop terrorists and criminals from entering its borders, and stop human trafficking and narcotics smuggling. But my brother, we must also be practical and merciful when dealing with those who have worked hard, supported their families, avoided crime and become a part of American life.

Sadly, I sense that our American society's public policies and laws are moving away from the basic commitments and priorities of committed Christian individuals who make up much of our body politic. In every effort of human endeavor we must always, always remember that we are our brother's keeper, and with that responsibility follows accountability before the very eyes of God Almighty. Micah 6:8 tells us to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with our Lord – these words require us to show compassion, love and respect for one another. Other Scriptural passages such as Exodus 22:21 remind us of our own immigrant legacy, "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." What is important to point out is that these passages address treatment of the immigrant already in a country, and don't say anything about how they got into the country. These verses cry out across the vista of time to every American today to show fairness toward aliens and the immigrant desperately trying to improve their lot in life.

A society that was not long ago Christian is sadly now clamoring to be identified as predominantly secular. When seen through a historical timetable, the change was triggered in a blink of an eye. Hospitality to strangers and show of mercy to immigrants has been missing the advocacy of churches and Christian men and women (even when there is a compelling case to be made that our economy would benefit from such a reform). It has been replaced by angry calls for deportation and loathing of "illegals" and their children, even though the scriptures call on us to be particularly attentive to the voiceless and the defenseless. Surely the political status of a person does not exempt him/her from the benevolent grace of another Christian brother born on the privileged side of a geographic border. Is not the fundamental moral law of the Golden Rule still in effect in today’s modern times? When did we stop thinking that the aspirations of those who are less fortunate are equal to our very own? How about this one - I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me, found in Matthew 25:35?

And yet, migrant workers, specifically the parents, get dismissed as role models because of their social and economic status and are denied dignity and social standing. We cast blame at them when the economy goes bad; blame them for loss of jobs, bloated welfare rolls, runaway medical costs; and we have even voted in state referendums and initiatives to deny their children citizenship even when they are born on American soil to their undocumented parents. The irony is that they are doing much needed work that American employers need. They provide goods and services that make life easier for the rest of us. Yet instead of recognizing and appreciating their work, many people who suffer from the drawbridge syndrome smugly deny them the opportunity of a public life.

By a twist of historical fate and geographical coincidence, my ancestral hometown lies about 60 miles from the southern tip of Texas, past the Rio Grande and into the Mexican border. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and ancestors 400 years back were all born in their homes at or near the small provincial township of Garza Gonzalez, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. My father looked to the United States in much the same way that Woodie Guthrie described in a song he wrote about John Steinbeck's novel - "The Grapes of Wrath" - A book written about the travails and hardships of a migrant family from Oklahoma fleeing the dustbowl and the ravages of the depression. One of the verses of the song reads: "They stood on a Mountain and they looked to the West, and it looked like the promisedland. That bright green valley with a river running through, there was work for every single hand, they thought, there was work for every single hand." For years he traveled to California, Washington, Florida and would return to Mexico for the winter and spring months. Many from Garza Gonzalez also heard about the endless opportunities En los Estados Unidos and soon cast their fortunes to the north finding work as immigrant farm workers. They would talk of the inequality they encountered in the United States, and the mistreatment they received because of their social and cultural status. But they would also talk of the opportunities given to them by kind neighbors, new friendships they established with ranch-owners and farm bosses, how in Christian America hope and opportunity abounded. How they would cross the border penniless and return with the hefty earnings they made during the summer and fall months "en los Estados Unidos". As a migrant farm worker until I was 19, I felt privileged that I was fortunate to have lived half of my youth in Mexico and experienced the depth of its culture, its cities and its stunning landscapes; privileged to have been taught the beautiful Spanish language, and fortunate to learn of its history and enjoy its golden age of cinema. Privileged to receive the support and love of extended family and friends who looked to God for wisdom and redemption.But I was also privileged to have been born in the United States and to have spent the other half of my youth here. I was fortunate to inherit America's richness of values, opportunity, and its spirit of justice. Privileged to grow up in a nation where freedom and responsibility have equal weight, and where the son of a farm working family can grow up to work for the President of the United States (I served in the Bush Administration as Associate Director for the Office of Public Liaison at the White House from March 2004 to January 2006). I would not trade my dual-national experience for anything in the world. And maybe that is why the first wave of marchers during the recent immigration rallies were equally proud to raise the United States and Mexican flags. Pride. Maybe Manifest Destiny meant the expansion of the young and brash American Nation, or maybe it meant that the destiny of the Mexican people and the people of the United States would be eternally joined and appreciated by its peoples, brought together to help each other, to develop trade, increase commerce and create a mutual vision of a better world for generations to come. Times have changed in America. Many lessons have been learned and many people have paid a heavy price in the civil rights struggles of the not to distant past. As Americans, we should be able to better understand each other. As children of two nations tempered by a one-time costly and bitter war, we were brought together by a shared history and a geography marked by God's hand. Hispanics who call the United States their home have experienced the loss of their children in the battlefields of foreign lands in defense of our common values and shared patronage. No one can say we don't belong, and that we do not love our country when we have died to defend it. Unquestionably, America's Christian love and compassion has played an integral part in its development, and it continues to shape our future. We must avoid angry and hurtful rhetoric; immigrants from every part of this world have earned their stake to this great country. They are those hard working, honest people who send their sons to protect this nation, Christian men and women who also labor in the voneyards and give compassionately when someone is in need.

The House will soon follow after the Senate with a debate over immigration that will make the Senate sparring match pale in comparison. And then of course, if Senators and House members reach consenus after the conference process, President George W. Bush has said he will sign an immigration bill that offers strong security measures, a tough domestice enforcement program and a temporary worker component. As Christians, let's come together and call on our leaders to find practical and effective solution to their disagreements.

But let us not forget our brothers and sisters in need.


Daniel Garza is President of Council on Faith in Action www.confianow.com
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