In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches about the final judgment of nations with words that should pierce our hearts today: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
The way we treat “the least of these” is how we treat Jesus.
Myal Greene
For Christians in America, there is profound dissonance between these biblical values and the haphazard and increasingly cruel enforcement of broken immigration policies taking place in our neighborhoods and across our newsfeeds.
Since January, a cascade of executive actions has targeted immigrants with unprecedented severity. Some rescinded legal status granted to vulnerable groups of people for whom the U.S. had an interest in protecting — once. Rather than seeking to repair and clarify a convoluted set of immigration policies and exceptions, these orders have kicked up confusion and instability.
“We are sending an unmistakable message to our foreign-born neighbors: You are not welcome here.”
Paired with violent rhetoric from political leaders — and in some cases even from our pulpits — we are sending an unmistakable message to our foreign-born neighbors: You are not welcome here. As an evangelical Christian who values order and adherence to the laws of the land, I’m deeply troubled by how far we’ve strayed from the biblical mandate to welcome the stranger.
Last week, I traveled to Chicago to see for myself what’s happening on the ground, meeting with church leaders, immigrants and social workers. What I witnessed troubles me deeply. Families with legal status are afraid to leave their homes. Parents with tenuous legal status are writing contingency plans for their children with American citizenship in case they’re detained. Vibrant churches now see empty pews as immigrant members, and even some of their U.S. citizen relatives, remain in the safety of their homes.
Chicago isn’t unique. From Memphis to San Antonio, Miami to Seattle, about 1.5 million people who entered the United States legally through humanitarian parole programs — fleeing persecution and violence — are now being told they must leave, despite having no safe country to return to. Many are being detained while their cases are processed. Funding for detention and deportation has exploded to roughly $75 billion.
Contrary to the prevailing narrative, those targeted for detention are not primarily violent criminals. Most are contributing members of society, taxpayers who live quiet lives and whose desire to live according to the laws of the land is thwarted due to those laws’ complexities. Many have been present legally, but their status is in jeopardy because policies that allowed them to enter and work lawfully have been revoked. Only about 7% of those in detention have been convicted of violent felonies.
Further, these are people of faith. Recent World Relief research found one in 12 Christian households in America stands to be deported or have at least one family member deported. When we support policies that tear apart families and instill fear in communities, we’re not just affecting strangers, we’re harming the body of Christ itself.
“One in 12 Christian households in America stands to be deported or have at least one family member deported.”
Compounding the crisis to our foreign-born neighbors is the revocation of food assistance for refugees and certain other lawfully present immigrants through recent executive orders. Refugees, by definition, are people fleeing persecution who have undergone years of vetting before arriving in America. As many as 250,000 lawfully present immigrants, including folks we serve at World Relief, will be affected.
Support for a refugee during the crucial first months after arrival provides a lifeline that carries them to amazing accomplishments and contributions to their communities. Multiple studies find that refugee resettlement generates positive economic returns and that initial support programs are cost-effective investments.
Given time and support, these families become self-sufficient contributors to their communities. On average, over their initial 20 years in country, a refugee adult’s tax contributions exceed governmental expenditures on their behalf by $21,000.
I’ve witnessed countless stories of refugee families who, after receiving temporary assistance, found employment, started businesses and became pillars of their neighborhoods.
Removing food assistance from the most vulnerable newcomers — people who are here legally and often still learning English — contradicts everything Scripture teaches about caring for the sojourner.
But for evangelicals, these aren’t strangers; they’re members of the body of Christ. According to the State of the Golden Door report, nearly one-third of refugees admitted to the United States in the past year were Christians from the countries where Christians face the most severe persecution globally. The people losing food assistance under current policies include brothers and sisters in Christ who fled countries where they faced imprisonment, torture or death for their faith.
In Matthew 25, Jesus says when we welcome, visit and feed the vulnerable, we do it unto him. Yet today, instead of offering food, we are taking it away. Instead of welcoming, we are detaining. Instead of seeing Christ in the vulnerable, we are punishing them.
As Christ followers, we must not lose sight of our calling. Even in the midst of complicated laws and political debates, our task is simple: to reflect Christ by extending welcome, not perpetuating fear among families, or denying food.
It’s up to us to lend our time and serve our vulnerable neighbors — even when systems fail them. We must pray for relief and advocate for laws and policies that reflect our mandate to welcome the stranger.
Myal Greene serves as president and CEO of World Relief.