Statement on Immigration Issues in the United States
Released by the
First Presidency in consultation with the
Human Rights Committee and the World Church Leadership Council.
Outreach ministers in the US serving immigrant populations requested a church
statement on immigration issues. The statement below is a response to their
request. Because of the international scope of immigration issues, work is also
being done on a statement that will be relevant to the entire world church.
As an international community of faith, called to be
faithful above all else “to Christ’s vision of the peaceable kingdom of God on
earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:3b), we affirm that:
○ All of life is sacred to God. God is concerned about the whole world and
all its inhabitants.
○ God calls the church to be in the forefront of organizations and
movements that recognize the worth of people (Doctrine and Covenants 151:9).
○ We stand in the shadow of the cross and the suffering of Jesus with
Christians of all denominations. We are called to become aware of the
“unnecessary suffering” of others and work to end it (Doctrine and Covenants
163:4).
○ We are called to strive for a just and peaceful world in which people may
achieve their full potential as human beings and children of God.
○ God calls us to promote community where each person is welcomed;
experiences belonging; finds a spiritual home; receives the ministry of peace,
reconciliation, and healing of the spirit; and lives in healthy relationships
through the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the cause of Zion.
○ The purpose of the church is to become “a sanctuary of Christ’s peace
where people from all nations, ethnicities, and life circumstances can be
gathered into a spiritual home without dividing walls, as a fulfillment of the
vision for which Jesus Christ sacrificed his life” (Doctrine and Covenants
163:8c).
Immigration issues are complex and potentially divisive.
Discussions and decisions should be informed by scripture and theology,
responsibly interpreted and faithfully applied. The following scriptural and
theological principles are essential to addressing immigration issues from a
Community of Christ perspective:
1. God is not the God of any particular nation, race, or ethnicity above
others. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16 NRSV). All
humans, both male and female, are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27 NRSV).
Nationalism raises one race or nation above others, when in God’s sight all
humans are equally loved and valued. We therefore question any approach to
immigration reform or law based on nationalism, racism, or ethnocentricity
because it violates God’s love for all of creation.
2. “Love the stranger” is an often-repeated commandment in the Jewish
scriptures. “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the
land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19 NRSV). The people of Israel were to be sensitive to
the alien or stranger because they knew what it was like historically to be
oppressed, feared, and exploited as immigrants in Egypt: “You shall not oppress
a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the
land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9 NRSV). Most humans in their family story have been
“strangers” or “aliens” at some point in their history. The church’s history
includes many stories of early Latter Day Saints being persecuted as “strangers
and foreigners.” We should be especially concerned about loving those who are
the “strangers and foreigners” among us today.
3. “Welcome the stranger” is also a commandment in the New Testament. Paul
wrote to the church in Rome saying, “Contribute to the needs of the saints;
extend hospitality to strangers” (Romans 12:13 NRSV). The writer of Hebrews speaks
for the stranger in this way: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews:
13:2 NRSV). Jesus himself, in a parable on the final judgment, identified with the
vulnerable including the alien: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew
25:35 NRSV). In the New Testament therefore, the stranger is to be treated like a
fellow Christian, perhaps an angel in disguise, or even Jesus himself.
4. Our vision of God’s world is of a community that is loved by God and open
to all; one where there are no aliens or strangers, only children of God. This
is the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, where dividing walls are torn
down (Ephesians 2:14 NRSV); of Pentecost, where even language barriers are overcome
(Acts 2:4–6 NRSV); and of the New Jerusalem, God’s holy city, where the gates are
always open (Revelation 21:25 NRSV). We envisage the possibility of God’s community
anywhere God’s people are; this possibility represents the church’s mission: to
promote Christ-centered community.
Because of the complexity of immigration issues, it is
helpful to see a distinction between (a) people who already live permanently in
a foreign country, possibly without legal sanction; and (b) people who want or
intend to immigrate to a foreign country, perhaps because of instability or lack
of opportunity in their home nation. The former need hospitality from their new
neighbors and participation in community where they are. The latter need a
healthy living situation (peace, employment, social and political freedom,
cultural affirmation, etc.) in their present setting.
One of the central elements of our mission is to build
genuine community in which the worth of people is not only recognized but made
real. To do so, we have a responsibility not merely to welcome but to include
“the stranger” in our local congregations and their ministries.
Any public policy, including legislation, that dehumanizes
or denies basic human rights to any group or person, that forbids Christians
from extending hospitality to resident immigrants, or that prevents churches
from serving immigrants through their ministries should be challenged. Such
policies deny the worth of people by excluding them from communities where they
may be welcomed, find spiritual homes, and receive peace, reconciliation, and
healing of the spirit.
We support efforts to create and sustain community
everywhere, especially where unhealthy living situations make people so
desperate that they abandon their loved ones, their culture—indeed, all that is
familiar to them—to search for a better life elsewhere. The answer to such
circumstances is not escape, dislocation, and marginalization in a foreign land,
but rather establishment of wholesome conditions that build up human beings in
their home nations.
In conclusion, members and friends of the Community of
Christ are encouraged to promote immigration policies and procedures that are
humane, fair, and based on the equal worth of all people regardless of their
country of origin. Members and friends are further encouraged to engage in
efforts to create genuine community wherever God’s people are found.
Possible individual actions may
include:
- Becoming better informed regarding
current events in light of faith principles and perspectives that transcend
partisan political agendas.
- Speaking up for the worth of
persons whenever someone from a different nation or culture is being
stereotyped, derided, or denigrated.
- Becoming more aware of immigrant
issues and the misconceptions that circulate about our immigrant population.
Links are provided at the end of this document.
- Reading about immigrant legislation
and being a voice for compassion and the worth of persons in relation to
pending legislation. Write your Senator and Congressman about your concerns
and views.
- Learning another language. This
will not only assist you in communicating with others, but will also raise
your awareness level of the difficulty of learning a language, and what many
immigrants face in learning English.
- Finding out what agencies in your
local area are providing assistance, legal aid, or advocacy for immigrant
issues, and join with them in their efforts.
- If you are aware of an immigrant in
your neighborhood who has been detained, there are some immediate needs which
you might be able to meet. Check to see if:
- The remaining family members have
food in the house and a means of obtaining groceries.
- Their children have transportation
to school and guardians to care for them when home from school.
- Health needs can be met.
- They have a spiritual foundation
of hope and faith.
- They have means to meet bills,
especially rent, if the breadwinner is detained or deported. Has the fact
that a member has been detained as a non-documented immigrant caused the
family members to be shunned, mistreated, or marginalized by others?
- Note that providing humanitarian
aid as indicated in these suggestions will catapult you into engagement with
a justice initiative that you may not have background to confront. Be sure
to alert your administrative officer and apostle of the actions you take to
assist others in their need.
For interested congregations, we recommend the following
resources for learning more about immigration issues and opportunities for
advocacy.
Resources:
o Faith-based principles on immigration:
www.arizonainterfaith.org/immigrat04a.html
o Magdaleno Rose-Avila organization:
www.homiesunidos.org/
o "Migration in an Interconnected World: New Directions for Action." Report
of the UN Global Commission on International Migration:
www.gcim.org/attachements/gcim-complete-report-2005.pdf
o National Immigration Forum:
www.immigrationforum.org
o National Council of La Raza:
www.nclr.org
o American Friends Service Committee:
www.afsc.org/immigrants-rights/learn/default.htm
o U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
www.usccb.org/mrs/stranger.shtml
o No More Deaths Campaign:
www.nomoredeaths.org
o Latin America Working Group:
www.lawg.org
o New American Opportunity Campaign:
www.cirnow.org
o Mennonite Central Committee, Washington Office:
www.mcc.org/us/washington
o Justice for Immigrants Campaign:
www.justiceforimmigrants.org
o World Relief:
http:
www.wr.org/joinin/advocacy/view.asp?id=80024022
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