You are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:19
Fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night, they head for the border towards safety, or so they hope. Will they be accepted in this foreign country where they do not speak the language nor look or dress like their soon-to-be neighbors? How will they survive? Will they find work? Amid the myriads of anxious thoughts and worse-case scenario fears, they hurriedly make their way over the dark and dangerous path to the land of promise and protection.
This is not the harrowing tale of a modern-day immigrant traveling a dangerous journey to cross the US southern border. Instead, this is an ancient story of a Middle Eastern family who fled to Egypt to save their child from being killed by a Roman ruler.
Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus fled from Israel to Egypt immediately after the visit from the Magi as King Herod sought to kill the Christ Child, his presumed rival. Even though God, through a dream, told them to go, I wonder if Mary and Joseph may have experienced fear and worry along their journey. Perhaps the gold given to them by the Magi helped to tide them over until Joseph could find work as a carpenter. Maybe they found kindness from their new neighbors. Or maybe they found hatred and scapegoating instead. The Bible does not say. But it does contain quite a few verses on the importance of showing hospitality and even love to foreigners (i.e., immigrants).
A big part of the far right’s Project 2025 and the incoming administration’s agenda includes rounding up undocumented immigrants* whom they scapegoat for this country’s problems. In their previous term, immigrant families were separated at the border and children were held in wire cages. Today, many children who were separated from their families have still not been reunited with them, despite efforts to help them.
The incoming administration will most likely have the same people in charge of the border that were in charge in their previous term. Their plan is not only to separate families at the border, but to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants, detain them in camps, centers, and even prisons (it is no coincidence that the day after the election, the stock prices of two private prison firms skyrocketed), before trying to deport them. This is only the beginning: there are talks on the far right of rounding up those here legally and even newly naturalized citizens.
We have been here before. The internment camps in the 1940’s are a dark spot on this nation’s history where 120,000 Japanese Americans were stripped of their civil rights and property and relocated to crowded detention camps. Although some reparations were made decades later, the emotional and financial toll on these families is unfathomable. Apparently, this nation has not learned its lesson on racism. And those who do not know (or care about) history are doomed to repeat it.
Did those who voted for this mandate truly understand what they were voting for? In a post-truth world, perhaps some myth-busting is in order. Here are some common myths about immigration:
Fear is a powerful emotion and has been used to raise false alarms over a “crisis” at the southern border. This view would have us believe there is total chaos at the border and that a stream of ruthless criminals invades this country every day. This is simply fear-mongering. The facts point to the failure of politicians to address the needs of the immigration system over decades, often for lack of care or understanding and lately, for the desire to use immigration as a political wedge issue.
Most immigrants (77%) arrive legally to the US and are issued visas. Of the ones deemed unauthorized, they have either entered the country without legal permission (and have no documentation), have overstayed their visas, have protected temporary status, or are awaiting the processing of their asylum claims. Those allowed to stay under asylum claims typically must wait 4-5 years or even as many as 10 years for their asylum claim to be processed. Currently, there is backlog of 3 million immigration court cases.
Immigration is typically cyclical and we are most likely to hear about it when there are larger numbers of immigrants at the border waiting to be processed. Politicians and journalists are typically silent when those numbers drop. Immigration ebbs and flows based on weather, perceived job opportunities in the US, and spikes in violence in immigrants’ countries of origin. When the weather is nicer, more immigrants are likely to leave their homes and make the trek to the US. Likewise, when the unemployment rate in the US is low, immigrants are more likely to try to enter the US because they believe more jobs are available.
It is important to understand that in the past, immigrants were invited to come to the US to fill worker shortages. Even today, it is expected that 18 million immigrants and their children will replace retiring baby boomers.
Contrary to current perceptions, up to half of immigrants are returned to their countries of origin upon arriving at the border. Some immigrants fly here rather than arriving on foot through Mexico. Some are in the US on student visas while many immigrants have jobs waiting for them.
The jobs immigrants typically perform are not ones that native-born Americans want to do. Immigrant workers are often employed in agriculture, construction, meat-packing plants, the hospitality industry (such as in restaurants and hotels), domestic work, child care, and elder care. These jobs help make the American economy go ‘round. Without these essential workers, economic growth would stagnant and perhaps plummet. We would see shortages of goods, particularly food, which would lead to higher prices. Fewer houses being constructed would drive up prices for both home purchases and rentals.
There is no evidence that immigrants are a fiscal burden on the government. In fact, most arrive ready to work, to provide for their families, and often to send money back to relatives in their home countries. Immigrants, including undocumented ones, pay taxes and contribute to Social Security and Medicare. But most undocumented immigrants do not reap any benefits from their contributions. They are not welfare burdens on the state. They pay more into the system than they receive.
Statistics show that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. They generally are more law-abiding than native-born Americans and do not want to attract the attention of the police for fear of deportation. While some violent crimes committed by immigrants have received much media attention, these crimes are not the norm. For example, in Texas where they track arrests by immigration status, undocumented immigrants have the lowest crime rates. Native-born Americans are twice as likely to be arrested for a violent crime than undocumented immigrants. Documented immigrants fall in-between the undocumented and the native-born in terms of crime rates. There is also evidence that immigration often makes neighborhoods and cities safer: where there are higher concentrations of immigrants, there is, on average, less crime and violence.
The incoming administration has conflated “asylum seekers” with inmates from foreign asylums when in fact, “asylum seeker” simply means someone who applies for and is awaiting asylum or protection in another country due to violence or political retribution in their home countries. Thus, this word mix-up increases the perception that immigrants are dangerous which is clearly not based on facts.
We often think that locking down the border is the best way to control immigration. Studies have shown that tighter border controls actually increase immigration. While this may sound counter-intuitive, evidence shows that when borders are more open and visas are more easily obtained, immigrants will not feel as desperate to enter because they know they can enter at any time. But when there are crackdowns at the border, immigrants may feel that this is their only chance to enter the US and their journey is more likely to involve more dangerous treks led by traffickers with higher numbers of immigrants entering at points other than official ports. Conversely, if the opportunity to immigrate is viewed as equally available in the future, immigrants may choose to wait. Also, when the border is more open, seasonal workers can enter and then return to their home countries, knowing they can return later.
Viable solutions to the problems of immigration are complicated and can only be achieved when we consider the facts rather than the myths.
Far-right politicians campaigning on the issue of immigration instill fear in voters of a border being overrun by criminals (and of pets being eaten by Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio). Dehumanizing immigrants makes it more palatable to promote the use of internment camps and deportations.
Rounding up undocumented immigrants is only the tip of the authoritarian iceberg. The rest of the incoming administration's agenda is equally chilling.
The immigrant baby-turned-rabbi stood up to power for the sake of the most vulnerable. Now it is our turn.
What you can do to help – Read up on immigration to know the facts. One helpful book is How Immigration Really Works by Hein de Haas. Call out disinformation and the myths around immigration when you hear them. Check out local agencies in your community that work with immigrants to help them find housing and jobs, learn English, or study for their citizenship tests. Consider volunteering or donating to these organizations.
*I prefer to use the term “undocumented immigrant” or “unauthorized immigrant” rather than “illegal immigrant” because a person cannot be considered “illegal.” However, the phrase “illegal immigration” can be used to describe a process.
NOTE: In this recent election, over 80% of white evangelical Christians and 60% of white Protestants and white Catholics voted for the incoming administration despite the plans to round up undocumented immigrants and separate families in the process. Jesus’ mission as stated in Luke 4:18-19 is to stand up for the helpless, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. Many of those who claim to follow Jesus seem to have no compassion or mercy. “Love thy neighbor” feels particularly hollow.
Text and photograph copyright © 2025 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of setting sun over Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night, they head for the border towards safety, or so they hope. Will they be accepted in this foreign country where they do not speak the language nor look or dress like their soon-to-be neighbors? How will they survive? Will they find work? Amid the myriads of anxious thoughts and worse-case scenario fears, they hurriedly make their way over the dark and dangerous path to the land of promise and protection.
This is not the harrowing tale of a modern-day immigrant traveling a dangerous journey to cross the US southern border. Instead, this is an ancient story of a Middle Eastern family who fled to Egypt to save their child from being killed by a Roman ruler.
Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus fled from Israel to Egypt immediately after the visit from the Magi as King Herod sought to kill the Christ Child, his presumed rival. Even though God, through a dream, told them to go, I wonder if Mary and Joseph may have experienced fear and worry along their journey. Perhaps the gold given to them by the Magi helped to tide them over until Joseph could find work as a carpenter. Maybe they found kindness from their new neighbors. Or maybe they found hatred and scapegoating instead. The Bible does not say. But it does contain quite a few verses on the importance of showing hospitality and even love to foreigners (i.e., immigrants).
A big part of the far right’s Project 2025 and the incoming administration’s agenda includes rounding up undocumented immigrants* whom they scapegoat for this country’s problems. In their previous term, immigrant families were separated at the border and children were held in wire cages. Today, many children who were separated from their families have still not been reunited with them, despite efforts to help them.
The incoming administration will most likely have the same people in charge of the border that were in charge in their previous term. Their plan is not only to separate families at the border, but to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants, detain them in camps, centers, and even prisons (it is no coincidence that the day after the election, the stock prices of two private prison firms skyrocketed), before trying to deport them. This is only the beginning: there are talks on the far right of rounding up those here legally and even newly naturalized citizens.
We have been here before. The internment camps in the 1940’s are a dark spot on this nation’s history where 120,000 Japanese Americans were stripped of their civil rights and property and relocated to crowded detention camps. Although some reparations were made decades later, the emotional and financial toll on these families is unfathomable. Apparently, this nation has not learned its lesson on racism. And those who do not know (or care about) history are doomed to repeat it.
Did those who voted for this mandate truly understand what they were voting for? In a post-truth world, perhaps some myth-busting is in order. Here are some common myths about immigration:
- Immigration, especially at the southern border, is overrun with “illegal” immigrants trying to sneak into the US.
- Immigrants take jobs away from native-born Americans.
- Immigrants are murderers, rapists, and escapees from prisons and insane asylums.
- Tight border controls, including a wall, will keep immigrants out.
Fear is a powerful emotion and has been used to raise false alarms over a “crisis” at the southern border. This view would have us believe there is total chaos at the border and that a stream of ruthless criminals invades this country every day. This is simply fear-mongering. The facts point to the failure of politicians to address the needs of the immigration system over decades, often for lack of care or understanding and lately, for the desire to use immigration as a political wedge issue.
Most immigrants (77%) arrive legally to the US and are issued visas. Of the ones deemed unauthorized, they have either entered the country without legal permission (and have no documentation), have overstayed their visas, have protected temporary status, or are awaiting the processing of their asylum claims. Those allowed to stay under asylum claims typically must wait 4-5 years or even as many as 10 years for their asylum claim to be processed. Currently, there is backlog of 3 million immigration court cases.
Immigration is typically cyclical and we are most likely to hear about it when there are larger numbers of immigrants at the border waiting to be processed. Politicians and journalists are typically silent when those numbers drop. Immigration ebbs and flows based on weather, perceived job opportunities in the US, and spikes in violence in immigrants’ countries of origin. When the weather is nicer, more immigrants are likely to leave their homes and make the trek to the US. Likewise, when the unemployment rate in the US is low, immigrants are more likely to try to enter the US because they believe more jobs are available.
It is important to understand that in the past, immigrants were invited to come to the US to fill worker shortages. Even today, it is expected that 18 million immigrants and their children will replace retiring baby boomers.
Contrary to current perceptions, up to half of immigrants are returned to their countries of origin upon arriving at the border. Some immigrants fly here rather than arriving on foot through Mexico. Some are in the US on student visas while many immigrants have jobs waiting for them.
The jobs immigrants typically perform are not ones that native-born Americans want to do. Immigrant workers are often employed in agriculture, construction, meat-packing plants, the hospitality industry (such as in restaurants and hotels), domestic work, child care, and elder care. These jobs help make the American economy go ‘round. Without these essential workers, economic growth would stagnant and perhaps plummet. We would see shortages of goods, particularly food, which would lead to higher prices. Fewer houses being constructed would drive up prices for both home purchases and rentals.
There is no evidence that immigrants are a fiscal burden on the government. In fact, most arrive ready to work, to provide for their families, and often to send money back to relatives in their home countries. Immigrants, including undocumented ones, pay taxes and contribute to Social Security and Medicare. But most undocumented immigrants do not reap any benefits from their contributions. They are not welfare burdens on the state. They pay more into the system than they receive.
Statistics show that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. They generally are more law-abiding than native-born Americans and do not want to attract the attention of the police for fear of deportation. While some violent crimes committed by immigrants have received much media attention, these crimes are not the norm. For example, in Texas where they track arrests by immigration status, undocumented immigrants have the lowest crime rates. Native-born Americans are twice as likely to be arrested for a violent crime than undocumented immigrants. Documented immigrants fall in-between the undocumented and the native-born in terms of crime rates. There is also evidence that immigration often makes neighborhoods and cities safer: where there are higher concentrations of immigrants, there is, on average, less crime and violence.
The incoming administration has conflated “asylum seekers” with inmates from foreign asylums when in fact, “asylum seeker” simply means someone who applies for and is awaiting asylum or protection in another country due to violence or political retribution in their home countries. Thus, this word mix-up increases the perception that immigrants are dangerous which is clearly not based on facts.
We often think that locking down the border is the best way to control immigration. Studies have shown that tighter border controls actually increase immigration. While this may sound counter-intuitive, evidence shows that when borders are more open and visas are more easily obtained, immigrants will not feel as desperate to enter because they know they can enter at any time. But when there are crackdowns at the border, immigrants may feel that this is their only chance to enter the US and their journey is more likely to involve more dangerous treks led by traffickers with higher numbers of immigrants entering at points other than official ports. Conversely, if the opportunity to immigrate is viewed as equally available in the future, immigrants may choose to wait. Also, when the border is more open, seasonal workers can enter and then return to their home countries, knowing they can return later.
Viable solutions to the problems of immigration are complicated and can only be achieved when we consider the facts rather than the myths.
Far-right politicians campaigning on the issue of immigration instill fear in voters of a border being overrun by criminals (and of pets being eaten by Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio). Dehumanizing immigrants makes it more palatable to promote the use of internment camps and deportations.
Rounding up undocumented immigrants is only the tip of the authoritarian iceberg. The rest of the incoming administration's agenda is equally chilling.
The immigrant baby-turned-rabbi stood up to power for the sake of the most vulnerable. Now it is our turn.
What you can do to help – Read up on immigration to know the facts. One helpful book is How Immigration Really Works by Hein de Haas. Call out disinformation and the myths around immigration when you hear them. Check out local agencies in your community that work with immigrants to help them find housing and jobs, learn English, or study for their citizenship tests. Consider volunteering or donating to these organizations.
*I prefer to use the term “undocumented immigrant” or “unauthorized immigrant” rather than “illegal immigrant” because a person cannot be considered “illegal.” However, the phrase “illegal immigration” can be used to describe a process.
NOTE: In this recent election, over 80% of white evangelical Christians and 60% of white Protestants and white Catholics voted for the incoming administration despite the plans to round up undocumented immigrants and separate families in the process. Jesus’ mission as stated in Luke 4:18-19 is to stand up for the helpless, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. Many of those who claim to follow Jesus seem to have no compassion or mercy. “Love thy neighbor” feels particularly hollow.
Text and photograph copyright © 2025 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of setting sun over Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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