Some Christians say it’s unChristian to deport illegal immigrants. They say the parable of the Good Samaritan and Bible verses like Leviticus 19:33-34 condemn Trump’s plan for mass deportations.
But these Christians are unBiblical and uninformed. So far, the Trump administration has deported about 6,000 illegal immigrants since the inauguration. According to Newsweek, if Trump maintains that pace, he will be on track to deport only half as many illegal immigrants as Biden did last year.
That will change when Trump implements his plan for mass deportations. But the reactions so far reveal media bias and false righteousness from many anti-Trump Christians. If they care about deportations, why didn’t they complain on social media just weeks ago in December when Biden was deporting illegal immigrants?
The majority of people who are complaining about the deportations are not principled people defending Christian virtue. They are insincere people using Jesus’ name in vain to attack Trump.
It’s not unChristian to deport illegal immigrants. Christian ethics do not denounce deportations. They demand it. Since illegal immigration is a crime, Christian ethics demand justice. That justice includes deportation.
Bible verses like Leviticus 19:33-34 indeed mean we should love illegal immigrants. But if we love illegal immigrants, we should hate illegal immigration.
Leviticus 19:33-34 says, “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
The Bible says we shouldn’t do wrong to illegal immigrants, but that doesn’t mean we should justify or ignore their wrongdoing—especially at the expense of legal immigrants and citizens. God says we should treat illegal immigrants the same way we treat citizens who break the law. We shouldn’t show any partiality.
If American citizens should be punished for breaking the law, why shouldn’t illegal immigrants be penalized for coming into the country unlawfully?
True love for illegal immigrants won’t justify their criminal entry into the country. The Bible says love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6).
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be good Samaritans. It suggests we need to know what it means to be a Good Samaritan. The parable of the Good Samaritan isn’t a prooftext for leftist policy. It doesn’t mean we should help everyone in every way.
For example, it doesn’t mean we should help murderers evade police officers or break them out of prison.
What the Good Samaritan means in the context of illegal immigration is if we see an illegal immigrant in need, we should help them the way we would help anyone else. If an illegal immigrant needs medical care, take them to the hospital. If they need food, feed them. If they are victims of a crime, call the police.
A good Samaritan isn’t a person who “helps” people the way communists command us to. A Good Samaritan is a person who helps people the way Christ commands us to.
That is crucial. Have you noticed that the majority of professing Christians complaining about Donald Trump deporting illegal immigrants didn’t complain when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sent pro-life people to prison? Where were their calls for Good Samaritans when pro-life activists were sent to prison?
Don’t be fooled by them. They don’t want justice to roll down like waters (Amos 5:24). They hate what is good, love what is evil, and neglect justice at the border (Amos 5:15).
When the Bible says we shouldn’t mistreat foreigners, it’s not saying we should welcome every foreigner. If that were the case, King David would have welcomed every Philistine into Israel, including Goliath.
Immigration isn’t a right; it’s a privilege. It’s a privilege that illegal immigrants think they are entitled to. But America doesn’t owe anything to people born outside of the country—including me.
I am currently in the middle of the immigration process. I can’t share details, but though I am a legal resident, the process isn’t complete. According to the current standards, it should be finished soon. However, if America changes the standards and ends my residency, it would be inconvenient—not unjust.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t sad cases. Millions of illegal immigrants came into the country to escape real suffering. But that doesn’t justify breaking the law in America. It’s no different than a father who steals food to feed his family. We can be sad about their struggles while upholding justice.
Some Christians say illegal immigrants are an opportunity for evangelism. But criminals in prison are also an opportunity for prison ministry—that doesn’t mean we should tolerate criminal activity.
The Great Commission isn’t an immigration policy. The Great Commission is that we should go to all people in all nations and preach the gospel to them. It’s not that we should welcome all people to cross the border illegally so we can preach to them. It’s lazy and selfish to encourage foreigners to endanger themselves by crossing the border illegally instead of encouraging Christians to do the hard and selfless work of going to other nations to preach the gospel.
Besides legal immigration, that is one of the best ways Christians in the West have helped foreigners. Many individuals and cultures have been transformed by Christian missionaries from the West.
Just as loving your neighbour as yourself doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lock your door—loving immigrants as yourself doesn’t mean open borders. The Christian thing to do is to uphold justice.