Everyone has an opinion on immigration

Everyone has an opinion on immigration. Even if you don't, you'll hear about the topic debated non-stop through the news and social media. As Christians, there's only one opinion that really matters, and that's God's opinion. So what does the Bible say about it?  
       
Before we can even mention immigration, we must start with the basics of humanity, how God created us, in Genesis 1:26-27, which says "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness... So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Because of being made in His image, we are all deserving of love, dignity, and respect. In the case of immigration, this love, dignity, and respect is not a one-way street. Both the immigrant and the citizens of the nation where the immigrant wants to immigrate deserve this love, dignity, and respect. In a perfect world, we should all be seeking to love and serve one another, but we don't live in a perfect world.  
       
America's immigration debate seems to boil down to whether we should have border security and immigration controls, or just throw it away and let pretty much anyone come into the country at any time. You see this dynamic play out in that the Biden administration was very lax on border enforcement and let people flow across the border, whereas the Trump administration has much tougher standards on border security and immigration.  
       
In Genesis 10, we see how the nations of the earth are descended from Noah and his sons. You see from verse 32 that "these were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood." God organized people into nations after the flood. In Genesis 11:1-4 we see the people of the earth trying to come together as one. They did not want the division of nations. They wanted the unity of a one-world government to "make a name for ourselves" apart from God. This angered God, and so He split the people apart and gave them different languages to separate them back into nations, of which we have to this very day. So at the beginning of the Bible we see that God made the nations, and nations have borders. At the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21:24, after Jesus returns and is ruling the earth, we see "And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it." The nations still exist after Jesus returns, and they bring their glory into the new Jerusalem. From these verses, we can conclude that God does not have a problem with nations and borders.
         
     So, how do we treat the subject of immigration, especially to America (and Europe as well), since so many from around the world want to come here? The book of Ruth supplies insight. Ruth was a Gentile from Moab. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, was a Jew who had gone to live in Moab after her husband died and her sons married Moabite women. When her sons died too, Naomi decided to go back to Israel. Ruth was determined to go with her. Ruth had decided to immigrate to Israel from her home country. Ruth's attitude toward immigration was this from Ruth 1:16-17: "Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried." What she is saying is that she will assimilate into Israel. She will take on Israel's culture, politics, economics, all of Israel's ways. And not only that, she is willing to embrace Yahweh, the God of Israel. She is going to leave Moab and all its ways, including even its gods, and become a Jew.

     For a long time, that is what it meant to be an immigrant to America. You would assimilate and become American, embracing the American political/economic system and the Judeo-Christian ethics that were America's foundation. This concept is now opposed by many in America. They would say that Ruth should have kept her Moabite culture and Moabite gods and not assimilate. However, if she had not joined Israel and assimilated, she would not have been in King David's, and ultimately, Jesus's, family line (Matthew 1:5). We see that her willingness to join Israel and reject Moab brought blessing to the entire world through helping to bring the Messiah into the world.      
   
     Many will often point to Deuteronomy 10:19-20 and Leviticus 19:33-34 as verses to argue for open borders or to allow illegal immigrants--those who have broken American laws and entered the country contrary to established procedures (or stayed in the country after their visa's expiration)--to stay in the country permanently without consequences for the law breaking. Yes, it's true, we should be merciful and compassionate to all; however, mercy and compassion does not mean we should ignore laws and common sense. Human governments have been established by God in Romans 13:1-4 to enforce laws for the common good. Any government that allows lawlessness to run rampant is not doing the job that it was established for by God. As Christians, we show mercy and compassion to all, while at the same time being aware that there are always consequences that can come from government for breaking the law.          
     I would also point out that one of the consequences for Israel in stubbornly not following God's commandments is found in Deuteronomy 28:43-44: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail." It appears that with increasing lawlessness in Israel would be accompanied by enough "aliens" who would ultimately rule over them.
     
     I realize this is a short writeup on what is a contentious and complex subject and is by no means the final word on every immigration situation that could arise, but since this subject is of great consequence in our country right now, I think it is good for us to have at least an overview of what the Bible says about it.