Congress must include legal protections for asylum seekers and unaccompanied migrant children in any border-security legislation under consideration, a coalition of Christian organizations said in a letter to federal legislators.
The Evangelical Immigration Table urged Congress “to consider these two principles — ensuring secure borders and respecting the God-given dignity of each person — as you legislate, and to oppose proposals that would either make our borders less secure or would erode existing legal projections for those vulnerable to persecution, human trafficking or other significant harm.”
Members of the group are Bethany Christian Services, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals, the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, World Relief and World Vision.
Their Dec. 11 letter was sent to Capitol Hill during a busy period for southern border issues. Multiple amendments have been introduced in the Senate to boost funds for Border Patrol and ICE Enforcement and making it harder for asylum seekers to find safety in the U.S. A White House foreign aid bill was defeated Dec. 6 because it did not include the strict border and asylum amendments Republicans wanted.
“That does not mean that everyone who reaches the U.S. border should be allowed in, but it does mean that we ensure due process for those seeking asylum under the terms of U.S. law.”
Human rights advocates have assailed Republican immigration proposals as draconian for attempting to raise the credible fear standard for migrants, forcing migrants to wait in Mexico as immigration cases slowly proceed, detaining migrants and requiring migrants to apply for asylum in other countries enroute to the U.S. Some of these Trump-era policies already are being employed by the Biden administration.
In its letter, the Evangelical Immigration Table takes a diplomatic and biblical approach, affirming that government is charged by God with ensuring the protection and welfare of its citizens: “For this reason, we have long called for immigration policy reforms that ensure secure borders and respect the rule of law. Our federal government has a responsibility to know who is entering the United States, to do whatever is reasonably possible to prevent the entry of anyone seeking to do harm, and to enforce laws governing who is and who is not allowed to enter the United States.”
But it also is incumbent on authorities to recognize that all life is sacred and worthy of protection because human beings are made in the image of God. That fact imbues them with intrinsic dignity and the right to ethical treatment regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender or other attributes, the coalition says.
“This belief is at the foundation of our asylum laws, which offer protection to those who reach the United States and can demonstrate a real fear of persecution for reasons outlined in U.S. law. That does not mean that everyone who reaches the U.S. border should be allowed in, but it does mean that we ensure due process for those seeking asylum under the terms of U.S. law.”
As border policy negotiations continue, representatives must ensure asylum seekers are treated with the dignity due them according to Scripture and U.S. law, and that those who qualify are granted permanent protections, the coalition said. “The conviction that each person is made in God’s image also means that even those who may need to be returned to their country of origin under the terms of U.S. law should be treated humanely, acknowledging the dignity God has placed within each person, and respecting the unity of the family, which God has also established.”
“Our government should take extra caution to ensure the well-being of those who are uniquely vulnerable.”
Children also must be singled out for care, the group added. “We also affirm that our government should take extra caution to ensure the well-being of those who are uniquely vulnerable. Among the most vulnerable are children identified at the border as unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian.”
Congress should consider expanding refugee resettlement and employer-sponsored work visas and boosting technology and staffing at ports of entry to help ease pressure at the border, the letter suggests. Government partnerships with faith-based groups could help address the root causes of migration in Mexico and Central and South America, it says.
The group implores members of the House and Senate not to become fixated on the border at the expense of the humanitarian needs of migrants. “While the border challenges are significant and require congressional response, we also urge you not to neglect other urgent immigration priorities, such as ensuring opportunities for Dreamers, Afghan and other humanitarian parolees, and long-term beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status to pursue permanent legal status.”
Domingo Garcia
Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, spoke out in support of Latino members of Congress who are standing up to Republican efforts to gut the nation’s immigration system.
“For too long, we have been the political piñata, enduring broken promises that fail to address decades of neglect and abuse through an outdated immigration policy that is not working,” he said. “It appears that many Republican elite leaders prefer to keep a broken immigration system with exploited immigrant workers and trafficked sexually abused women, instead of finding a compromise that allows legal immigration and cracks down on the cartels and human smugglers.”
Lydia Guzman
Garcia asked Republicans to consider what Jesus would do for asylum and other asylum seekers during the Christmas season. “Would he call for building walls, concentration camps, split families and turn back refugees fleeing violence and poverty?”
Lydia Guzman, the league’s national immigration chair, said Americans must not be silent as some in Congress seek a return of Trump-era immigration policies. “We believe that true solutions to the immigration crisis require a comprehensive, humane and just approach. We urge Congress to reject any proposals that would resurrect policies causing harm to vulnerable communities.”