The Bible has a lot to say about the treatment of immigrants and refugees. It is surprising that some evangelicals that support mass deportations are not familiar with the Scriptural teaching on this subject. For example, God commands us to treat immigrants and refugees as if they were citizens.
When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Leviticus 19:33-34)
However, the current administration is pursuing a cruel policy of arbitrary detentions and deportations. Furthermore, certain employers in agriculture, food processing, construction, and manufacturing have treated undocumented immigrants unfairly by demanding long work hours under harsh and dangerous conditions, providing substandard living accommodations, and committing wage theft.
In Exodus, God directly commands his people to not oppress foreigners.
Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. (Exodus 23.9)
The prophet Malachi, states that God will judge those who deprive foreigners of justice.
So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the windows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
(Malachi 3:5)
Some may claim that these commands applied only to ancient Israel in the Old Testament dispensation. That assumption is not correct according to Christ’s affirmation of the continuing validity of the moral law.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)
The Book of Deuteronomy also affirms God’s love for foreigners.
He [God] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)
In many of these Scripture verses the phrase "...for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt" is repeated. God's people are to have empathy for the plight of the foreigner and refugee.
Given these commands concerning foreigners in Scripture, Christians must be kind and helpful towards immigrants and asylum seekers entering our country. Our migration problems have been created by Congress and the current administration who have failed to pass humane immigration legislation, so those entering our country can do so in an orderly and legal manner.
Note: In the case of immigrants who commit crimes, deportation may be justified. However, minor encounters with law enforcement should not be used as a pretext for deportation. Individuals who commit serious crimes (fraud, robbery, murder, and so on) can be subject to deportation, because they have abused the hospitality of the receiving country.
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