Justice at the Border: Navigating the Immigration Debate

The Growing Problem

Almost every American has a personal interest in the ongoing debate over immigration at the Southern border. Some Americans have been positively impacted through a close relative (like my father-in-law) whose family immigrated from Mexico. Some Americans have been negatively impacted by immigrants who have harmed someone they love. The impact of immigration, both legal and illegal, on American life has generated a lot of concern. Part of the problem is that government policies, no matter how well-intended, have serious moral consequences. 

Let's take a quick look back at January 2019, during the first Trump administration, when the President enacted the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program. MPP was intended to protect US citizens from criminal acts and alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis on the US and Mexico border. MPP allowed border security agents to return anyone crossing the border without proper legal documentation and send them back into Mexico. Once there, migrants were required to appear for the adjudication of their case by a US court. I was living in San Diego at the time, and the reports of conditions in Mexican border states like Tamaulipas were troubling. I listened to migrants share their own experience about the squalid conditions in these border camps and describe the dangers they faced each and every day; gang violence, lawlessness, rape, and human trafficking were a regular occurrence. 

On June 1, 2021, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14010, which terminated MPP. This allowed an unrestricted flow of illegal migration across the Southern border. But this policy change simply shifted the problems from cities in Mexico to cities in America. According to the October 2024 report by the Homeland Security Committee, the flow of unchecked migration was alarming. 

Since the start of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recorded more than 10.8 million encounters nationwide, including more than 8.72 million at the Southwest border. By contrast, CBP recorded around 3 million encounters nationwide, including 2.37 million at the SWB, from FY2017- 2020. Nationwide border encounters this fiscal year increased nearly 50 percent compared to FY2021.

This unchecked flow has led to increased gang violence, lawlessness, rape, and human trafficking throughout the United States. 

Now, in President Trump’s second term, there has been a much-needed effort to reverse the damage and protect the people of the United States. However, enforcing long-ignored laws will not solve the migrant crisis or fix the system of immigration, which desperately needs reform. 

Four Facets of Justice

Today, I want to write to my Christian family and consider how, together, we might work to both understand this migrant crisis and contribute to the solution. Scripture offers insight into the history of cultures in conflict, which has the potential to guide both our treatment of immigrants and the crafting of US policy. Yet, applying a biblical ethic to public policy is not without its pitfalls, which include concerns over Christian Nationalism. There are at least three critical concerns we must weigh.

First, in using stories from the Bible to inform our public theology, we must be careful not to impose our cultural perspective onto these historic events.

Second, we must remember that Israel was a theocracy. As Christians in the United States living under a secular government, it is often impossible to turn every moral good into a law.

Third, the majority culture is quick to accept the use of the Bible when it advances their political goals. We must be careful that our zeal to love our neighbor does not distort our Gospel mission.

With these three considerations in mind, we must answer the difficult question: how can Christians balance the moral imperatives of justice for our immigrant neighbor and justice for our fellow American citizens?

The debate about justice is often seen through the lens of four competing interests: merit, egalitarianism, need, and restorative justice. There are many Christians who believe these four facets of justice are irreconcilable. However, I think a healthy Christian worldview will allow us to find some degree of merit in each one, yet none of them alone presents a complete picture of biblical justice.

Merit Justice

This facet of justice appeals to many on the Republican side of the political aisle who observe the abuses taking place under current law. Some have quoted the admonition of the Apostle Paul recorded in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, not to feed those who are unwilling to work. They take this passage and advocate for immigration policies that are merit-based and favor those who are educated, strong, and prepared to contribute to the needs of American society. 

Egalitarian Justice

This facet of justice appeals to many on the Democratic side of the aisle who emphasize the need to protect migrant rights by passing laws that guarantee equal outcomes and equal access regardless of individual merit. Leviticus 19:15 is often cited as a reminder to lawmakers that justice must be given equally to both the poor and the powerful. The argument is that since all people are of equal worth, we should not favor those who have been disadvantaged by poverty or war.

Need Justice

This facet of justice for many Christians is grounded in God’s admonition to the people of Israel recorded in Leviticus 19:9-10. In this passage, the people are reminded not to reap their harvest from the edges of their fields but to leave this portion as a way to meet the needs of both the poor and the foreigner. Advocates of needs-based justice are willing to set aside consideration of both equality and merit so they can redirect their giving to those with the greatest material need.

Restorative Justice

This facet of justice seeks to make right a past injustice. Although most commonly considered in the context of prison reform, restorative justice has meaning for migrants who have lost everything and sacrificed everything to find a better life. The picture of restorative justice is often tied to God’s covenant in Genesis 12:1–3. God’s promise to Abraham, it is argued, offers hope that all peoples, from every nation, will be blessed. 

A Christian Response

While we could discuss at length the proper use for these passages in evaluating the justness of US border policy, it is broadly true that all four facets of justice listed above find a home in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are circumstances where each kind of justice might offer the most loving response to help the legal migrants at our border, protect the rights of US citizens, stop illegal border crossings, and sustain the general order of our society. It is also important to remember that America alone cannot solve the problem. The suffering of displaced people is not about America. Forced migration is a global problem that requires a universally applicable solution. With that in mind, let me offer a few practical thoughts.

First, justice for the Christian demands we show compassion. Even when people enter our country illegally (some against their will by human traffickers), our local congregations can reach out and demonstrate love by offering food, clothing, and temporary housing. We should never forget that for many migrants, leaving their home and beginning the multigenerational process of integrating with a new culture, learning a new language, and understanding new forms of social interaction is both daunting and painful. Migrants are people caught between two worlds and, in many cases, travelers not by choice but travelers by force and fear. We should help immigrants find ways to legally enter the US. And for those who have come illegally, churches can pay for migrants to return home and reenter the US through the legal process.

Second, justice for the Christian also demands that we respect immigration law. We can certainly advocate or even protest for change, but we should not subvert the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce the law, and no Christian should resort to violence against law enforcement agents.

Third, justice for the American citizen and also for the legal immigrant means that the border must be secured. Our call to protect those who are most vulnerable means ending unchecked migration, which has allowed Mexican cartels to smuggle drugs and traffic humans across the border with impunity. Border security is necessary to improve justice for both American citizens and those legally seeking refuge from oppression or a better life. 

Fourth, justice at the global level means we must not forget that, regardless of our great wealth, the US cannot help everyone. Money is not the root problem, and money cannot solve the problem. Even more, we must remember that most migrants don’t even want to leave their homes. America may be my dream. America may be your dream. But America is not everybody’s dream. As Christians, therefore, we must advocate for policies and the reallocation of resources to help stabilize foreign governments and constrain the evils of war, poverty, and human trafficking. We must work to enact policies that will keep people safe so that no one is forcibly displaced.

Finally, as Christians, we must never forget that real justice lies within the church—the local gathering place for God’s family. No government policy—no matter how compassionate—can replace the ministry of the Gospel and the power of God’s salvation in Christ. Ephesians 2:12-13 reminds us that we, too, were once foreigners without hope, but through the shed blood of Christ, we have been given a home and the hope of God’s redemptive justice. Biblical justice is a call to both individual and corporate holiness. Holy justice is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Holiness lies at the center of biblical justice and cannot be enforced by any government or a system of laws—even the Law of Moses could not accomplish it. Spiritually speaking, everyone outside of the church is a migrant and a stranger. Everyone outside the church needs the holy justice of God, which is freely given to every citizen of God’s Kingdom. 

Today, every Christian must ask, How can I become a minister of God’s holy justice in an unholy and unjust world?

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