Asking the Clergy: How does your faith view providing refuge to immigrants?

A refugee crisis on the U.S.-Mexico frontier has brought attention to the nation’s current “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which some see as necessary to secure the southern border, and others see as inhumane and contrary to religious teachings. This week’s clergy discuss how people of faith should weigh concerns for national security against biblical injunctions to provide hospitality to strangers and to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Rev. Wendy C. Modeste
Pastor, United Methodist Church of Bay Shore

America is a great country founded on the principles of truth, justice and liberty. We represent a safe haven for so many people seeking to make a better life for their families and those in need of asylum to escape violence at home.

I, too, am an immigrant, born and raised in the Caribbean. My parents entered the country on a vacation visa in search of something better for their family. After many years of working hard and paying taxes, my mom was sponsored for a green card by her boss. It was an arduous task, with many years of paperwork, lawyers and fees. My mom in turn sponsored my dad, my siblings and me. I came to America as a teen, and this has been my home for 43 years.

Before coming to America, my dad traveled to other countries seeking to make a better life for his family, but America is where he found what he was looking for — for himself and his family. My father would often say, “If you can’t make it in New York, you can’t make it anywhere else.”

My prayer is that America will continue to be a great nation, one that provides shelter for families in need. Let us not forget that baby Jesus himself was a refugee. When Emperor Herod threatened to kill Jesus, his father, Joseph, fled to Nazareth to save his family. Being kind and helping others isn’t just a Christian principle. People of all faiths can join together and make the world a better place for themselves and those in need.

The Very Rev. Michael T. Sniffen
Dean, Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City

Humans migrate, and this means we must sometimes cross borders hastily in pursuit of safety, freedom, food and opportunity. For Christians, the hospitable treatment of strangers (immigrants, refugees, sojourners) is one of the clearest teachings in the Bible. “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)

Hundreds of passages throughout the Old and New Testaments speak directly to the hospitality that faithful people are required to show to foreigners. Jesus, a child refugee himself, commanded his disciples to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) The resounding message of the Gospels is that we are called to love God, one another and the whole Earth. St. Paul puts it this way: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10)

All Christian traditions in the United States were founded by immigrants and refugees, whether they came to this land in the 17th century or the 21st. The most established Christian traditions in America today are actively involved in refugee resettlement and serving the needs of recent immigrants, documented or undocumented. This work is understood as a fundamental ministry to “the least of these.” It is hospitality offered to Christ himself. It is an essential way of ministering God’s justice with compassion.

The Rev. Thomas Boyd
Pastor, Massapequa Park Church of the Nazarene

Everyone’s faith has a view on immigration, and everyone’s opinion has some validity. The Word of God has a lot to say on the subject in the Old and New Testament. Just to quote a few verses, Jeremiah 7:5, “If you do not oppress the alien, then I will dwell with you in this place.” Jeremiah 22:3, “Do no wrong or violence to the alien.” In the New Testament, we read in Hebrews 13:1-2, “Do not forget to entertain strangers for by doing so some people have entertained angels.”

As Americans, we need to always hold ourselves to a high standard. This includes treating people with care and respect. Immigration has always been a difficult issue. A nation needs to protect its borders. We need to protect our people. Our national security is important.

What is also important is how we treat the alien and the refugee. Kindness and caring fit into every Christian’s political view — or should. Whether or not a person is allowed into our great nation, they need to feel that they were treated justly, fairly and with respect.

When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37 and 38) America is greatest when we are compassionate to those in need.