Illegal immigrants are streaming through our nation’s southern border by the thousands. In the two short months of the Biden-Harris Administration, illegal immigration has reached a 20-year high. Smugglers and human traffickers are pouncing on the opportunity. More than 13,000 children are being detained in facilities after crossing the border from Mexico to the United States. Some as young as six years old entered unaccompanied by a parent.

This crisis is a direct result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s dangerous and destructive immigration agenda.

President Joe Biden’s policies include “open borders: total amnesty, no regard for the health and security of Americans, and zero enforcement,” says Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).

Although radical leftists would say the Bible has no relevance to issues of national debate, the truth is it actually offers balanced wisdom that can light the way forward, not just as individuals, but as a country. 

God Calls for Compassion and a Vigorous Defense

On the one hand, the Bible teaches that we must provide equal justice, protection and compassion on all immigrants who have come to our nation legally. Leviticus 19:33-34 makes this clear:

And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

On the other hand, the Bible recognizes our inherent power to defend our borders and exercise our sovereignty.

Regarding nations and borders, the Acts of the Apostles says God, “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).

Borders and walls are found throughout the Bible, from God setting them around the Garden of Eden after the fall (Gen. 3:24), to the establishment of Israel (Exod. 23:31), to the city of New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:10-21). To see the importance of nations and borders, just look at Revelation 21:23-24:

And the city [New Jerusalem] had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. [emphasis added]

If there will be nations, walls and governments in the new heaven and new earth, how much more do we need them in this life?

“Clearly, governmental authorities are allowed by, sanctioned by and instituted by God, so that a civil, ordered, safe society may exist,” says Alex McFarland, renowned Christian apologist, author, and founder of Truth For A New Generation.

Individual autonomy and self-defense are unalienable rights that go hand in hand. This is no less true for a nation than for an individual. Every day we secure our private information with passwords and unique usernames. We lock our cars in the parking lot and our front doors at night. In fact, you might even say responsible parents owe a duty to their children to secure the home. Likewise, nations have the natural right and duty to protect the borders of the country. Leaving your wallet on the checkout counter or carelessly leaving your car door unlocked exposes you to theft and other crimes. Similarly, national policies that break down boundaries and disrespect national sovereignty, put the lives and property of the citizens at risk. Such laws are a breach of trust between the government and its people.

According to noted biblical scholar Rabbi Daniel Lapin, “One thing is for certain, and that is that the idea that people can cross the border, have zero obligations to their new adopted country, and yet derive all kinds of financial, economical [sic], material benefits; there is no basis for that not only anywhere in the Bible but anywhere at all in the sane thoughts and mental meanderings of intelligent people.”

The Open Borders Ideology of the Left

Leftists pushing for open borders frequently try to justify their view by claiming the United States stole the Southwest from its former residents – namely Latin Americans – and that the current crop of immigrants are only reclaiming their land. This mindset is called “Aztlan” and was pushed by the radical Chicano movement of the 1960s, and is now promoted by critical race theory curriculum. They accuse those who want to secure the borders of racism. In truth, those who want open borders are rejecting the legitimacy of the United States of America. As summed up succinctly by Bishop E.W. Jackson, the view of illegal immigrants by those on the left is, “They didn’t cross the border, the border crossed them.”

But today’s news of children in cages and human trafficking shows us that enforcement of a sound immigration policy protects not only the citizens of this nation, but the migrants themselves.  

Furthermore, it’s not just Latin Americans who are rushing through Biden’s open border.

Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr. of Uvalde, Texas, reports that immigrants from nearly 50 countries have swamped the area around his border town, causing havoc for local residents. The initial push of immigrants after Biden’s inauguration is threatening to outstrip combined figures from the last three years of the Trump Administration, when border security was a priority.

“We’re averaging 10 to 12 car chases a week. We never saw that before,” McLaughlin said. “This is something we’re seeing every day. Our local ranchers are having their fences cut and their houses are being broken into; they’re [illegal immigrants] trying to steal their cars.”

The truth is America can avoid this craziness by following the simple wisdom of the Bible. Let’s show compassion and equal justice to all who immigrate here lawfully, while consistently defending our borders against those who seek to come here unlawfully. In the end, it’s nothing more than common sense.

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