“Porque toda la tierra del mundo pertenece a Dios, a los ojos de Dios, todos somos inmigrantes.” (Levítico 25:23)
“Because all the land in the world belongs to God, in the eyes of God we are all immigrants.” (Leviticus 25:23)
Needless to say, those words from the Torah do not address the many current complexities concerning national border security and immigration policy. But for people of faith, they may place our nation’s current public policy conversations concerning migrants in a more clear, true and loving light.
Todos somos inmigrantes. We are all immigrants.
Chuck Poole
That single, simple truth, embraced with a measure of kindness and humility, could help redeem the way our nation thinks of, speaks about and responds to immigrants in this harsh, hard, fearful, fragile national moment, when many immigrant families are afraid to leave their homes, even for work, school and worship.
It is, of course, important to say that tragically some immigrants, just like some citizens, have committed horrible acts of violence. Dangerous immigrants, just like dangerous citizens, need to be apprehended and detained by law enforcement.
But just as noncriminal citizens should not have to fear being swept up and incarcerated in the apprehension of dangerous citizens, noncriminal immigrants should not have to fear being swept up and deported in the search for and apprehension of dangerous immigrants.
Some say all undocumented immigrants should be detained and deported because all undocumented immigrants are criminals by virtue of having entered the country illegally. I do not believe that. To the contrary, when I hear all undocumented migrant people spoken of in that blanket-indictment way, I always think of the countless dear and good souls who have fled to our country seeking refuge from danger, honest and true people who have lived here for years, breaking no law since the moment they crossed our border.
In that moment, they may have violated the letter of the law but that does not make them criminals. Words matter. They are not “criminals,” nor are they “illegals.”
They are undocumented immigrants, millions of whom are among our finest neighbors.
While border security is an undeniably complex public policy matter, there is actually a straightforward, humane, safe and sane way to address the current conversation regarding the presence of undocumented immigrants in the United States — a way that would address the immigration dilemma without paralyzing our economy or demonizing our neighbors who happen to be here without proper documentation.
“There is actually a straightforward, humane, safe and sane way to address the current conversation regarding the presence of undocumented immigrants in the United States.”
It is a plan that has been considered in various versions across the years. Here is another effort at that familiar framework: Homeland Security should continue to work at identifying, apprehending, detaining and deporting immigrants who are dangerous, with the same urgency with which law enforcement seeks to apprehend dangerous criminals who are citizens. For all the undocumented immigrants who are not criminals, which is the vast majority, the federal government should issue four-year visas with required annual check-ins with Homeland Security. If an immigrant with a work visa is convicted of a crime during the term of the visa, they can be deported. Otherwise, at the end of the four years, they would complete the path to citizenship.
As someone who longs to live as a Christian, I ponder these possibilities in the light and shadow of Matthew 2:13-23, a passage of Scripture in which the Holy Family is reported to have crossed borders seeking asylum to protect their child from violence and harm. Mary, Joseph and Jesus — refugees from political violence — crossing borders seeking safety, not unlike the countless beautiful families who are currently seeking similar sanctuary with us.
A tender gospel echo of the many other words Scripture has to say in support of welcome and care for migrant people, among them Exodus 12:49, “There shall be one law for the citizen and the immigrant.”
And Exodus 22:21, “You shall not oppress the immigrant.”
And Leviticus 19:34, “The immigrant who abides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the immigrant as yourself.”
And, of course, Leviticus 25:23, “Since God owns all the land in the whole world, in the eyes of God, we are all immigrants.”
These words, animated by the Holy Spirit, led me last week to visit, in person, a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, where I asked the lobby security officers if I might see the person in charge. Not long after, the manager on duty appeared. I told him I had come in the name of Jesus to register my opposition to the way immigrant families are being targeted by the United States government and to call upon ICE to stay away from all houses of worship.
We had a mutually courteous and respectful conversation. I thanked him for taking the time to hear my concerns and told him I would be encouraging all Christians to go in person to their local ICE office and register similar concerns.
“I told him I would be encouraging all Christians to go in person to their local ICE office and register similar concerns.”
Of the roughly 330 million people who live in the United States, about 200 million identify as Christians. If we assume that, because of health limitations, work constraints or family responsibilities, for half of them it would be impossible to make their way to the nearest ICE office, that would still leave about 100 million Christians who might go, in person, to their nearest ICE office and ask for an end to the deportation of noncriminal undocumented immigrants, offering our opposition to the threat of immigration enforcement at or near hospitals, schools and houses of worship, protesting in the name and spirit of Jesus all government muscle-flexing at the expense of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Senior adult groups could board the church bus and go together to the nearest ICE office to ask for mercy for noncriminal immigrants. Deacons, elders and vestry members could rent a van and go do the same. The women’s book group and the men’s Bible study could go as a group to the nearest Homeland Security office to voice their support for noncriminal immigrants and their opposition to mass deportation.
Just imagine if 100 million Christians visited Homeland Security offices all across the nation, standing in line to stand in solidarity with immigrant people, waiting in line at the local ICE office to call for kindness to, and asylum for, our most vulnerable immigrant neighbors.
One imagines God would be pleased, immigrant families would be encouraged and Jesus, himself once a refugee with his migrant mom and dad, would be more than a little relieved and glad.
After all, in the eyes of God, todos somos inmigrantes.
Chuck Poole retired in 2022 after 45 years of pastoral life, during which he served churches in Georgia; North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; and Jackson, Miss. He has served as a visiting preacher and teacher on the campuses of multiple universities, seminaries and divinity schools. He was the founding teacher of the Wood Street Bible Class in Jackson, which he led for 21 years. The author of nine books, numerous published articles, one gospel song and the lyrics to three hymns, Chuck has served as a “minister on the street” and as an advocate for interfaith conversation and welcome. He and his wife, Marcia, now live in Birmingham, where he serves on the staff of Together for Hope.
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