Thoughts from a former "Illegal Immigration"

I received this email from a good friend who now is pastor in Apex. It is heartfelt and an interesting perspective.

What follows is a first attempt to respond in a pastoral way to this topic. I'm not responding to any particular point of view. I simply want to add my own limited view to this conversation in a spirit of friendship and openness. I speak to this issue from my own experience as a Latino immigrant, as a Protestant Christian, as an evangelical pastor, as a head of household of a Latino family.

Immigrants come to this country for different reasons. I was brought here by my mom to protect me from the civil strife of my country of birth. One of my brothers was killed by the military at age 16. My oldest brother was arrested by the military at age 17. I was 15 when I left El Salvador to come here.

I remember having a difficult time adapting to a new home, new culture, and new life. Language was different, relationships were different, values were different, living for the first time in my life with my mom was different, etc. I was unhappy and angry at everything that was happening to me. I wanted to go home, my real home.

Two identities were new to me in this culture. First, I learned that I was a Hispanic person. The church I attended was Hispanic, my mom's friends were Hispanic, my friends at school were Hispanic, the places we ate were Hispanic, the TV channels we watched were Hispanic, the places we bought groceries were Hispanic, etc. Second, I was an illegal alien. I didn't feel much different than other Hispanics. But nevertheless I knew not to tell to strangers that I was an illegal.

In 2001 I immigrated to this country again. I was no longer a newcomer but my wife was. Through her I relived some of the emotional and social challenges that comes sometimes with being an immigrant. In an instant she lost all of her support networks (family, friends, church, neighborhood, university, etc) and felt disconnected and isolated. She became overly dependent on others for things that she use to be able to do alone (go to the market, ride the bus, attend church, make a phone call, meet people, etc.). But God was with us, we had each other and we had the love of Christian brothers and sisters to help us get through. And we still do.

As a Latino pastor, I hear from Latinos who are struggling because they are not able to find a job or receive services available only to legal people. Many Latinos live with the fear of being deported and separated from their families. There is fear of raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at job sites or homes. I hear from people who wrestle with feelings of humiliation, of not being appreciated, of not belonging. People who tell me that no matter how hard they work and how many sacrifices they make their quality of life is diminishing. Why don't they just go back home?

The point is this is home. I have more relatives here now than any other place in the world. Two of my kids were born here. I have friends here. I have a church family here. I received an education here. I serve Christ here. God's dreams for me are tied to my presence in this land. Through it all, with its ups and downs, I have experience the love, embrace and hospitable spirit of people in my new home, particularly from sisters and brothers in Christ.

What are we to do as Christians?

The most important word we can share with illegal immigrants is that they are children of God. This child of God identity is an unequivocal truth. Divine recognition of the dignity of the human person, so much so that God didn't withhold even his only Son, uplifts people who feel disenfranchised and provides a sense of purpose and belonging again.

I speak to this from my own experience. To know that I'm a child of God before I'm anything else is the strength and foundation of my existence. Yes, I was born into Salvadoran citizenship. Yes, I was a U.S. illegal. Yes, I became a Permanent Resident. Yes, I'm now a Naturalized U.S. citizen. These identities are part of my story and have shaped who I've become. But nothing has shaped me and is more important to me than to know that I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ and a citizen of God's new people. No matter how many borders I cross that identity stays with me.

It is through Jesus' Lordship and teachings of the Kingdom of God that we can discern how to best respond to the challenges and opportunities of our own context. We don't get to choose our parents, birthplace or time. But in the new birth of the spirit we can experience a new life in Christ, and as the mission of Apex UMC states "invite and equip ALL to follow Jesus in transforming the world.

The life on earth of our Lord Jesus can enlighten our dialogue. Jesus, himself a Jew, grew up not protected from the guarantees of class or citizenship. As a newborn of a common Jewish family, Jesus and his parents immigrated to Egypt to escape a government policy that would have ended with Jesus' life. As a Jewish adult, when judged for his teachings by the religious and political powers of his day, Jesus couldn't appeal to Caesar (like any Roman citizen) and was sentence to death overnight. Yet, Jesus' understanding of his Sonship, his conviction that God was with him even on the cross, allowed him to overcome any temptation to give in to hopelessness. He conquered his own fears and transformed his own religious tradition. He spoke radically to his contemporaries about a new kind of life (a new order), teaching his visions of the "Kingdom of Heaven," of a new citizenship committed to God's will. "Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself" (Philippians 3: 20-21).

Paul in Romans 12:12 said that one of the marks of the Christian is to "extend hospitality to strangers." What does this mean for our own context? In what ways are we to show Christian love to immigrants in our midst? Our response will determine how aligned we are or how distant we are with God's will and the teachings of our Lord.

Our nationality, ethnicity, race, culture, economic status, experience of God, and theological interpretation will inform our opinions on issues like this one. And that's OK. We enter this conversation not from a void but from a real self. As we engage in dialogue let us seek God's Kingdom first and in so doing seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and power to transcend our own limitations and prejudices to carry on the ministry of Jesus.