U.S. evangelicals strongly favor immigration policies that both strengthen border security and treat migrants and their families with fairness and dignity, Lifeway Research reported.
Sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table, the survey also uncovered significant support among evangelicals to provide paths to citizenship for Afghan refugees, Dreamers and some other immigrants already in the country.
“There is a deep evangelical interest that immigration policy includes border security but also compassionate, fair policies,” said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, during a livestreamed news conference accompanying the survey’s Feb. 28 release.
Lifeway said 91% of evangelicals favor immigration legislation guaranteeing secure borders, and 91% support immigration measures respecting “the God-given dignity of every person.” The same percentage said American policy should protect the unity of migrants’ immediate families.
Support for stronger borders was found across racial and ethnic lines, with 94% of white evangelicals and 82% of African American evangelicals expressing agreement. Hispanic evangelicals and other ethnic groups also favor secure borders, at 92%.
When asked if they support legislation providing legal pathways to citizenship for some immigrants, 75% of evangelicals said yes and only 10% expressed strong opposition. Also, 80% of evangelicals support citizenship for Dreamers and adding more farmworkers if the legislation also improves border security.
Broken down by race on that question, 80% of Black, 87% of Hispanic and 72% of white evangelicals said they support pathways for immigrants. “Those with moderate political views (80%) and liberal political views (86%) are more likely to support than those with conservative political views (68%),” Lifeway reported.
When pathways to citizenship and border security are connected, whites (19%) are more likely to oppose than Hispanics (10%). The report notes: “Those with moderate political views (81%) and liberal political views (85%) are more likely to support than those with conservative political views (74%).”
The study upends the common view that most evangelicals are vehemently anti-immigration and anti-immigrant, Kim said. “It’s easy to caricaturize evangelicals, but there is an incredible amount of nuance in supporting border security, affirming dignity and keeping families together.”
That nuanced position emanates from a greater reliance on the Bible to understand immigration, said Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and pastor of an Assemblies of God congregation in Orlando, Fla.
“What I was glad to see (in the survey) is that since 2015 there has been a significant increase in how much evangelicals are engaged with immigration from a biblical perspective. In 2015, we were talking about 12% of evangelicals, and now we’re more than double that at 26%.”
The fact that 66% of evangelicals said they are familiar with the Bible’s teaching on immigrants is also significant, Salguero said. “More and more, evangelicals are looking to Scripture, not partisan politics.”
Lifeway also reported 82% of respondents said they would welcome hearing sermons on how to apply biblical teachings to the issue of immigration. More than 71% said the U.S. has a moral obligation to welcome refugees, and 70% believe Christians have a responsibility to care for refugees and immigrants.
That proves the door is open for pastors to preach about immigration, Salguero said.” I’m encouraging pastors and leaders not to shy away from it as a divisive issue, but to disciple our people on this issue because they’re asking for it.”
Even the dual support for border security and compassionate immigration policies is supported by Scripture, he added.“When Jesus says, ‘I was a stranger, and you welcomed me,’ he wasn’t kidding. And at the same time, when Paul talks about the role of government and authority in Romans 13, we also have to take that seriously.”
The Lifeway survey proves immigration is not an abstract issue for many Christians, said Chelsea Sobolik, director of government relations at World Relief.
She cited the finding that 34% of evangelicals have participated in some kind of ministry to serve refugees or other immigrants. “For many evangelical Christians, immigration policy is personal because they have been directly involved in ministry to immigrants, and one-in-five evangelicals are they themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants.”
Lifeway also reported that 50% of evangelicals consider immigrants to be a drain on U.S. economic resources, 40% see them as opportunities for evangelization and 37% view them as threats to law and order.
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