Loving Immigrants in Alabama

The state of Alabama has been in the news recently as a new immigration law has been enacted which has been billed as the nations toughest. Immigration has been a controversial issue for many years in our nation. When our economy was good the opportunities for unskilled labor boomed and literally millions of people from Mexico and other nations came to find work to support their families. Over the last few years as our economy in the U.S. has weakened the issue has now become very heated and emotional. Our federal government which legally bares the responsibility for the issue has not addressed  in a systematic way what to do with the issue of legal and illegal immigration. As someone who ministers to international students at a University in Alabama I can assure you that every aspect of immigration in our nation is dysfunctional. You can do everything right and still find yourself waiting for years and expending huge sums of money to work and reside legally within the current system. States including Alabama have grown extremely frustrated and have resorted to unilateral legislation to deal with the issue. It remains to be seen if states can effectively deal with the issue of immigration without meaningful cooperation and assistance from our federal government. While politicians can enact laws and law enforcement seek to uphold them, the reality remains that immigrants are people too.
  How do we treat the immigrant population living in our country? As we move about in daily life, how does one tell if someone is legal or illegal?  Christians are commanded by God to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. How does that play out in a situation like Alabama is experiencing? There is a great deal of complexity in dealing with any situation involving people.... and especially families who are living in America as illegal immigrants. It's not uncommon for some of the family (especially children) to be born here and be legal citizens while their parents are not. If we reflexively respond, "KICK THEM OUT" without understanding what that means to their family dynamics we are not really loving them. We need to find a way to advocate for immigration reform while also understanding the ripple effect in every area of our society. I know some legal immigrants who simply because of the color of their skin are being mistreated and harassed in the environment of fear and anger created by this unresolved issue.
  I respect and support our government. But at the same time I do not support an approach which does not really resolve the issue at large. The immigrant population is on the move in Alabama to neighboring states.  Perhaps this can be viewed as a 'success' by our state legislators and Governor. It might force the hand of our negligent federal government. However, if in the process of driving illegal immigrants from our borders we allow our own hearts to harden that success will be a hollow victory.
  Jesus summed up his entire ethical teaching in the gospel of Matthew chapter 22 and verse 37, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
  What does it look like to love a neighbor who because of poverty has been living in your neighborhood illegally? Do we kick them out?  Do we offer them a meal on the way to their car? Do we view them as our enemy? The teachings of Jesus are simple to teach in a safe, clean, Sunday school classroom. But when we take those teachings out of the classroom into a world that is clearly broken we might just find it harder to live than we realize. Alabama and indeed our nation as a whole is being tested like never before. My prayer is that we will pass that test. May the love of God be our guide.


Jim