The nation is currently in a civil war. State authorities are openly defying Federal law. The catalyst for this second civil war has been the question of illegal immigration, and deportation efforts to remove illegal immigrants from US territory.
More importantly, there is a spiritual disagreement as to God's commands to us. This is not the first time in history when civil conflict has arisen over interpretation of God's commands to us: The Thirty Years War from 1618-1648, in which 20% of Germany's population died, was fought over the question of Protestantism vs Catholicism.
When faced with difficult questions such as this, we should remember James 1:5:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
Mercy vs Rule of Law
God commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Leviticus 19:33-34 says:
“‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God."
In Romans 13:1-2, God also commands us to obey civil authorities:
"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
The question of which verse is most applicable to the current imimgration debate has caused much disagreement between members of the Christian community. One side believes that those who enter the country illegal should be allowed to stay, and the other side believes that the rule of law must be enforced.
What Is The Christian To Do?
We should not be harsh to foreigners, even illegal ones, in our lands. And we should also enforce immigration law, as Title 8 U.S. Code § 1325 (a):
"Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both."
A policy in line with God's commands to us would be to treat illegals fairly and with as much kindness as we would have to ourselves or family members when removing them from the United States. The law should not be applied with malice or hate, but with the responsible stewardship God has commissioned us under to run the United States of America.
The Trump Administration has done this: By offering illegal immigrants the opportunity to self-deport and giving them a one-time payment of $1,000 before resorting to the use of force to remove them, we are showing compassion and kindness while enforcing the law.
