What Would Jesus Say
Immigration
The measure of faith is not how well we defend our borders, but how well we love across them
What Jesus Actually Says About Borders, Strangers, and Love
Jesus was a refugee.
Before he ever preached a sermon, healed the sick, or flipped a table, Jesus fled political violence with his family. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus crossed a border under threat of death. No paperwork. No safety net. No empire protecting them.
That’s not a metaphor. That’s the Gospel.
So when Christians talk about immigrants as threats, burdens, or criminals, something has gone deeply wrong. Not politically. Theologically.
The Bible Is an Immigrant Story
Scripture does not treat migration as a side issue. It is central to the story of God and God’s people.
Abraham was a migrant.
Moses was a refugee.
Ruth was a foreigner.
Esther was displaced under empire.
Israel spent generations as undocumented people in someone else’s land.
And God’s response to this reality was never fear. It was command.
“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.”
Leviticus 19:33–34
Not fear. Not control. Not exclusion. Love.
1. Migration Is Normal in Scripture, Not Exceptional
From Genesis to Revelation, movement is the norm. God’s people are almost always on the move due to famine, violence, persecution, or calling.
Key pattern:
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God calls people to leave
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Empires force people to flee
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God meets people in displacement
Biblically speaking, stability and borders are the exception. Migration is the human condition in a broken world.
2. God Explicitly Identifies With the Foreigner
One of the most consistent commands in Scripture is how God instructs His people to treat the foreigner, stranger, or sojourner.
In the Old Testament, God ties this command directly to Israel’s own trauma:
You were foreigners in Egypt.
This is not sentimentality. It is moral memory. Suffering creates responsibility.
The command is never:
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Tolerate the foreigner
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Control the foreigner
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Extract labor from the foreigner
It is:
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Protect
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Include
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Love as yourself
This is radical in the ancient world and still radical now.
3. Hospitality Is Not Optional. It Is Covenant Faithfulness
In Scripture, hospitality is not a personality trait. It is obedience.
God’s people are judged not by how strong their borders are, but by how they treat the vulnerable within them.
Failure to protect the foreigner is grouped with:
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Exploiting the poor
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Oppressing widows
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Abusing orphans
In other words, hostility toward immigrants is never a “secondary issue.”
Biblically, it is a sign of covenant breakdown.
4. Jesus Enters the Story as a Refugee
Jesus does not merely advocate for the marginalized. He becomes one.
In Matthew 2, Jesus and his family flee state violence and cross into Egypt. This is not symbolic. It is historical displacement.
This matters because Christianity claims God chose this entry point into humanity.
God could have arrived as:
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A citizen
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A ruler
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A protected elite
Instead, God arrived as:
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Poor
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Colonized
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Displaced
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Vulnerable to state violence
This permanently aligns God with the displaced.
5. Jesus Redefines “Neighbor” Beyond Borders
When Jesus is asked who qualifies as a neighbor, he deliberately uses an outsider as the moral example.
The Good Samaritan is not a nice story about kindness. It is a confrontation.
Jesus redraws moral boundaries around mercy, not ethnicity, religion, or legal status.
Biblically:
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Neighbor is not someone who looks like you
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Neighbor is not someone who belongs
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Neighbor is the one in front of you who needs mercy
Borders do not override this command.
6. Law Is Subordinate to Love
Scripture respects law, but never absolutizes it.
Jesus repeatedly breaks religious and social laws when they obstruct mercy. He does not treat legality as moral authority.
This is crucial for immigration debates:
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The Bible never says “If the law is unjust, obey it anyway”
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The Bible never treats law as neutral
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The Bible never elevates order above compassion
Law exists to serve life. When it destroys life, Scripture sides with the vulnerable.
7. The Kingdom of God Is Explicitly Multi-Ethnic and Borderless
The biblical end vision is not a purified nation. It is a reconciled humanity.
Revelation describes:
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Every nation
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Every tribe
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Every language
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Together
No checkpoints. No exclusions. No hierarchy of worth.
Christian hostility toward immigrants directly contradicts the destination Scripture describes.
8. Fear of the Foreigner Is Treated as a Spiritual Failure
Biblically, fear is not neutral. It reveals misplaced trust.
Fear of immigrants usually rests on myths:
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Scarcity
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Cultural contamination
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Violence
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Loss of identity
Scripture consistently responds:
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God provides
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God protects
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God defines identity
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God sides with the vulnerable
Fear of the outsider is never framed as wisdom in the Bible. It is framed as lack of faith.
God commands protection of the foreigner
Common Fears. Biblical Truth.
“Undocumented Immigrants ≈ 11 – 13 Million People (about 3.3% of the U.S. population)”
According to the most recent estimates, there are roughly 11 – 13.7 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. They make up around 3 % of the population and about 74 % of them are employed.
MYTH 1: “Undocumented immigrants cause more crime.”
FACT: Research consistently shows that immigrants — including undocumented ones — are not more likely to commit crime than U.S.-born residents. In many studies, cities with higher immigrant populations actually have lower crime rates.
Undocumented evidence: Crime data suggests that undocumented immigrants are not associated with higher crime, and when they are detained, many have no criminal conviction at all.
Biblical Truth
God did not call us to fear people; Jesus taught us to love our neighbors — even those we think are different or dangerous. Fear of the stranger is not faith.
Scripture reminder: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
“Undocumented Immigrants Paid Nearly $90 Billion in Taxes in 2023”
Undocumented households contributed about $89.8 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2023 and held about $299 billion in spending power
MYTH 2: “Undocumented immigrants drain government resources.”
FACT: Undocumented workers contribute significant taxes yet are largely ineligible for most federal benefits (including many safety net programs). Many pay into systems like Social Security and Medicare without being eligible to draw benefits.
Additional data: They contribute income, sales, and property taxes — often at rates comparable to or higher than other income groups — helping support public services most people rely on.
Biblical Truth
Generosity does not come only through receipts; it comes through sacrifice and service. God honors those who give to the vulnerable, not just those who benefit from structures of power.
Scripture reminder: “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:13)
“Undocumented Immigrants Work in Essential Sectors”
About 74 % of undocumented immigrants are employed, frequently in fields like agriculture, construction, hospitality, and food production — sectors where native-born workers are often in short supply.
MYTH 3: “Undocumented immigrants take jobs from U.S. workers.”
FACT: Most research shows that immigrants, including undocumented workers, fill jobs that few native-born workers pursue, and immigration does not cause long-term displacement of U.S.-born workers.
Their labor supports industries from farms to restaurants, keeping supply chains moving and daily life functioning.
Biblical Truth
Work is a God-given dignity, not a weapon to wield against your neighbor. Every person created in God’s image is meant to contribute, not be treated as disposable.
Scripture reminder: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)
Jesus came as a vulnerable, displaced person. If God himself chose to enter the world as one without status or protection, then followers of Jesus are called to love those on the margins — not fear them. The Bible calls us not just to tolerate strangers, but to see Christ in them.