Every year we issue a million green cards to foreign nationals from all the countries of the world, but we do so without regard to whether that applicant has demonstrated the skill that can add to the US economy, whether they can pay their own way or be reliant on welfare, or whether they'll displace or take a job from an American worker. - Soerens and Yang (2018) quoting Stephen Miller, Sr. Advisor to Pres. Donald J. Trump in, “Concerns About Immigration,” Chapter 6 in Welcoming the Stranger, p. 102. … [Read more...] about Concerns About Immigration. Part 8 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
Immigration
Thinking Biblically About Immigration. Part 7 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
. . . Scripture suggests that all of us who follow Christ, whatever our nationality, have become aliens in this world, as our allegiances are to lie not primarily with any nation-state but with the kingdom of God. Paul reminds the believers at Philippi that their citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20), while Peter (1 Pet 2:11) and the author of Hebrews describe believers as foreigners and strangers on earth (Heb 11:13). God used migration throughout Scripture to accomplish his purposes and bring his people to a greater … [Read more...] about Thinking Biblically About Immigration. Part 7 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
Immigrating the Legal Way. Part 6 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
An understanding of the actual waits and costs implied when we suggest that immigrants wait their turn and immigrate the legal way is helpful. It is equally important to acknowledge, though, that many (probably most) of the people who immigrate illegally to the United States did not even have the option to get in line, because they have no qualifying family member who is a US citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident. - Soerens and Yang (2018), “Immigrating the Legal Way: Our Immigration System Today,” Chapter 4 in … [Read more...] about Immigrating the Legal Way. Part 6 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
A Nation of Immigrants. Part 5 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
Immigrants today, whatever their manner of entry, come primarily for the same reasons that immigrants have always come to our country. Though immigration policies have changed quite drastically over the last two centuries, immigrants themselves are still pushed out of their countries of origin by poverty, war, and persecution, and are still drawn to the United States by promises of jobs and economic advancement, freedom, and family reunification. These push and pull factors explain most, if not all, of immigration to … [Read more...] about A Nation of Immigrants. Part 5 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
The “Aliens” Among You. Part 4 of Welcoming the Stranger Series
“Francisco was up front about his legal status issues, but Alison presumed as they dated and moved toward marriage that, if he married a US citizen, this could be resolved easily. In hindsight, Alison says she was naive about immigration issues, having grown up in an ethnically homogeneous community where she had no real personal interaction with immigrants. If anything, she was confused by why Francisco wouldn't have just come legally in the first place: “As Americans,” she says, “We have this skewed perspective. Since … [Read more...] about The “Aliens” Among You. Part 4 of Welcoming the Stranger Series