The Church and Illegal Immigration

According to Border Patrol guards, who should know, and are sounding warnings, we are being invaded by MS-13 gangs, drug Cartels, Coyotes, entire families seeking ‘freebies,’ and all sorts of people who may be terrorists and could do us great harm.

America has always been a nation that embraces those in need, and those who immigrate legally. Legally is the term we need to grasp. No country survives without laws. God gave us the Ten Commandments and clearly laid out the consequences of obedience vs. disobedience to His laws. In the history of this nation those whose lives are truly threatened, and seek asylum, are usually granted it. Asylum is not given to avoid poverty and hardship—even though that is the condition for many in much of the world for different reasons. This also applies to many in the United States.

“There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.” (Numbers 15:16)

For over thirty years the America citizenry have been calling for the closure of the southern border. From Clinton to Bush the border has been maintained at “semi- enforcement.” It has not really been managed, guarded, or protected as stringently as our established laws require. Now, the current president has blown the doors wide open with their ‘forced immigration stance’ and through his policies: 1) which at first was, ‘catch and release’; then, 2) no enforcement; and currently, 3) the deliberately leaking to news organizations in South and Central America, that “if minors come they will be allowed to stay.”

He has opened the gates wide open for the current immigrant invasion and the crisis it is creating for our nation and it’s legitimate citizens. Now our Border Patrol agents are not even allowed to ‘catch and release.’ According to Breitbart News expose, in January and February, the current administration advertised in Central American newspapers that “transporters” were needed to assist children in crossing the border to get them to their “families” in the US.

Since 2009, it is revealing to note WHO has not been permitted to enter this country, and WHO has been put on really long “jumping through hoops” waiting lists. According to all the reports that are coming forth, those on long waiting lists include: 1) educated, highly employable people; 2) military spouses; and, 3) Christian families. Instead of those potentially self sufficient groups who could contribute to our nation, it has been those who only increase the tax burden on American citizens, or those who will work as cheap labor, that are allowed into the country. In fact this current president is literally sending escorts to assist them in their journey to ultimately break the immigration laws of our nation.

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work.” (Jeremiah 22:13)

                                 The Argument for more Workers

Although the majority of American citizens are frustrated and angry over the negligence of enforcement of our borders, there are others claiming we need the influx crossing the borders to fill our current labor needs. Do we?

                             Unemployment rates in the US for 2014

In this country we have an unemployment problem where half the working age population in the nation is on some form of government assistance or welfare!

                              Unemployment figures for under age 25

That so-called skills gap is reportedly a big part of the reason why 4 in 10 Americans under the age of 25 are either unemployed or underemployed. This gap is also the reason why America’s jobless rate for young people is more than twice the national average.

                           This isn’t just a temporary blip—it’s a generational epidemic!

Globally, almost 75 million young people are out of work—an amount nearly equal to the states of California, Texas and Ohio combined. (Forbes)

                                   Unemployment among Black Men

In Chicago alone, 92 % of those aged 16-19 was unemployed. (myfoxchicago.com) Last month, the jobless rate among whites was 6.6%; among blacks,

12.6%. Over that time, the unemployment rate for blacks has averaged about 2.2 times that for whites. (Pew research)

The average unemployment for Black Men is 10.9% (http://www.cffpp.org/empstats.html)

                                                           Black women and single mothers

The unemployment rate for black women fell from 12.3% in March to 10.8% in April, and the unemployment rate for single mothers fell from 10.8% in March to 10.2% in April. While these rates show modest improvement, they but are still far too high, especially compared to the unemployment rate for males, which is 7.5%, says Fields. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/sherylnancenash/2012/05/04/april-jobs- report-black-women-and-single-mothers-still-lagging/)

Black unemployment rate has declined from 13.0% in August to 12.9% in September. Never mind that the increase is partly due to the fact that over 120,000 Blacks not counted in the labor force last month have now re-appeared, and will probably disappear again, next month.

                                   Native American Unemployment

Although Native American unemployment rates for each tribe vary somewhat, unemployment in Indian Country has remained steady at 50% or higher for close to 170 years. On many reservations, unemployment can range anywhere from 80-100%. This pertains to those reservations that are isolated from economic opportunities. According to Forbes and Money Magazine, within cities the unemployment has stayed15% upwards.

“To put this in stark terms, counties on Native American reservations are among the poorest in the country and, according to the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 60 percent of all Native Americans who live outside of metropolitan areas inhabit persistently poor counties.

Contrary to popular belief, the overwhelming majority of tribes are not wealthy by virtue of gaming. This is mostly attributable to a fact, which all sovereign nations have come to understand, that geography is all too often destiny.

For most tribes, their remotely placed homes and communities frequently stifle viable economic activity. This disturbing result is particularly harsh when we recognize that Native Americans witnessed their geography chosen for them by those who sought to terminate them as a people.” (www.spotlightonpoverty.org)

A major cause of poverty in Native American communities is the persistent lack of opportunity!

The Economic Research Service reports that Native American communities have fewer full-time employed individuals than any other high-poverty community.

Only 36 percent of males in high-poverty Native American communities have full-time, year-round employment.” (http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=0fe5c04e-fdbf-4718-980c- 0373ba823da7#st)

                                      Crime and Illegal Immigration

Another argument presented by those advocating amnesty for the current influx of illegal immigrants is the claim that the children are fleeing for their lives due to the high rates of poverty and crime in their countries.

Seriously folks? Has anyone read the papers or talked with anyone in the inner cities of Chicago, LA, Oakland, Philly, Detroit, north St Louis, Virginia Beach, Miami Beach, Hallandale FLa, and the list goes on?

Has anyone taken a serious look at the number of disappearances and/or murders of Native Americans within cities that are never solved, and worse, never even investigated?

What about the vast numbers of Indigenous women who are raped and murdered that aren’t even in the papers and the feds won’t bother with? Only the tribes and families seem to care about them. The sexual assault and homicide rates are so high against Indigenous women that the World Health Organization has this issue on its’ web site listed as the highest rape/homicides in all of North America.                             

                                              Should Native women ask for asylum?

I understand that many in the Church feel “there’s an opportunity” or feel compassion for the children? I get this and I also get that this was calculated to pull at the well- intentioned heartstrings of many. What I am asking here is, where is that compassion for the above groups of people already suffering in this nation? Do we have compassion for one group of people but not for another? Our God is a God of justice and He uses the same scales for all.

“He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18)

On any issue the Apostle Paul says we are to take the whole council of the Lord.

‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.” (Leviticus 19:15)

                                  Churches and Government Bribes

“The king gives stability to the land by justice, but a man who takes bribes overthrows it.” (Proverbs 29:4)

The U.S. Government is offering Churches and other groups lots of federal funding to bypass the Laws of this nation and take in illegal immigrant children. This funding however, comes with strings attached. Behind the bribes to break the law lies the government gaining control of church operations.

Not only this, but the church’s collaboration is actually an endorsement of corruption and lawlessness. This action opens the spiritual gates for lawlessness and corruption to bring destruction not only upon the Church, but upon the sons and daughters of this land.

In a discussion with our son the other day, he reminded me that in WWll, Hitler built the entire Atlantic Wall within 3 years to keep out the Allies from invading what he had taken—Europe. (See):

The Atlantic Wall (German: Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1945 along the western coast of Europe and Scandinavia as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain. (Hakim, Joy (1995). A History of Us: War, Peace and all that Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press.)

During the building of that Wall which enslaved millions in Europe, the Churches stood silent and looked the other way. The Churches silence and selective ignorance resulted in millions being slaughtered in concentration camps. Today, once again it seems as if the Church has lost its’ voice and is standing silent to the unrighteousness and injustice pervading our nation.

Instead of putting its’ own house in order, it is running to support corruptly conceived government initiatives that will ultimately destroy this nation and the God-given freedoms that have allowed the Church to thrive in times past.

Some questions we need to consider in closing:

BUT SOME SAY THAT WE CAN”T BUILD A WALL ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER?

       My answer to that is, If walls do not work, then why is there one around the White House?

Why is the Church not calling for the government to execute justice? Why is the Church not executing justice in America before it runs after every new global crisis in other countries, or that are overflowing our borders?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts1. 8)

As an ALERT to a well-intentioned Church in America—Do you think it might be time to focus on “our” Jerusalem?

 

Linda Doxtator,PhD, LPC, LCPC

Clinical Director

First Nations Counseling Ministries