Donald
Trump as president-Elect promised to build a Wall and
Mexico was going to pay for it. A little over a year and nothing but
a few larger-than-life pillars, but no 'wall.' And besides all that,
our southernmost neighbor says they aren't going to pay for it. The
thing is, though, militarizing our borders is not the answer and
setting immigration policy is the purview of Congress (Article
1, Section 8); not by presidential Executive Order.
“Wikipedia” mentions that the
INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) administered federal
immigration laws and regulations including the Immigration and
Nationality Act (Title 8, United States Code).
In
the early 1900s Congress's
primary interest in immigration was to protect American workers and
wages. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was formed in
1933 by a merger of the Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of
Naturalization; both agencies were under the Department of Labor.
President Franklin
Roosevelt moved
the INS from the Department
of Labor to
the Department of Justice in 1940. On March 1, 2003, most of the INS
functions ceased to exist, becoming 3 new entities as they are today-
U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),
U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),
and U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
– within the newly created Department
of Homeland Security.
Now that the historical part of immigration has
been established, let's look at some passages from the Old Testament
for the benefit of Christian Evangelicals who don't support amnesty
for DACA (“Dreamers”) as well as are hardened to the breakup of
families and want protection from dangerous persons (criminals, drug
dealers, rapists), migrant laborers, hospitality industry/service
workers).
Genesis
20: 1
Abraham
moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and
Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a
foreigner
(undocumented illegal/resident alien). NLT
Genesis
21: 34
After
this, Abraham resided as a foreigner in Philistine territory for a
long period of time. ISV
Exodus
12: 49
The
same law
applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among
you." NIV
Exodus
22: 21
"You
must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you
yourselves were once foreigners (illegal aliens) in the land of
Egypt. NLT
Leviticus
19: 33-34a
‘When
a stranger (foreigner/illegal alien) resides with you in your land,
you shall not do him wrong (injustice).‘The
stranger (legal resident/undocumented citizen??) who resides with you
shall be to you as the native
(or naturalized citizen; in the modern sense) among you,
Deuteronomy
24: 14
"Never
take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are
fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns.
NLT
Deuteronomy
27: 19
'The
one who denies justice to a resident alien, a fatherless child, or a
widow is cursed.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'
CSB
1
Chronicles 22: 2
So
David gave orders to gather the foreigners who were in the land of
Israel, and he set stone cutters to hew out stones to build the house
of God.
NOTE:
Some of these resident aliens were highly skilled Masons, which means
they knew mathematics, engineering, architectural drawing, blueprint
reading, calculus and not criminals or low-skilled manual laborers.
2
Chronicles 2: 17
Then
Solomon counted
all the resident aliens
who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David
his father had taken, and there were found 153,600.
ESV
NOTE:
Resident/illegal aliens were not “undocumented citizens” as they
were included in the national census; sounds like prudent government
policy to a wise King Solomon.
REFERENCE
Eastons
Bible Dictionary:
Alien
a
foreigner, or person born in another country, and therefore not
entitled to the rights and privileges [as a native/indigenous citizen
or resident] of the country where he resides.
Robert
Randle
776
Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma,
WA 98402
April
5, 2018
