This won’t be the first time I’ve crossed swords with the author of Theology Archaeology and I dare say it won’t be the last, but like my discussions with the author of Blogging Theology, I feel compelled to offer a counterpoint, even if it’s one that will be drowned out. As a little side note, David (of Theology Archaeology) and Paul (of Blogging Theology) have a lot in common, despite one being Christian and one being Muslim. Yet given how they are both (openly) devout and pious, I doubt they’d ever admit that.
In the case of Theology Archaeology, the author, David, has largely reduced his site to a notification board, advising people of when he’s posted new material on a site called Hub Pages. It’s on here that we recently revisited the faith healing discussion, and now I’m looking at his take on the US/Mexico border ‘crisis’. Let’s take a more detailed look at David’s position. Quotes from his article will be in pink.
The news is full of stories concerning the issue of illegal immigration that plaques America right now. The governor of New Mexico recently claimed that there was no real border problem and that it was something that was fabricated by President Trump.
Then today I read a new article that clearly stated that the issue was not made up and that many illegals are overwhelming a border crossing in that state. It is a real issue.
Yet so many Americans have turned a blind eye to the problem and pretend the problem does not exist. This betrayal must cut deep for some Americans and those legal immigrants who spent years getting the right visa to enter that country legally.
There is indeed illegal immigration into the USA. Some of that comes via the Mexican border. The extent of this problem, not to mention the nature of the immigrants, is something Donald Trump has played up massively, and he has even admitted to doing so. Take a look at this BBC article that uses data from the US Customs and Border Protection Agency – the number of immigrants has fallen sharply over the past two decades, without an unnecessary and expensive border wall. Trump himself is on record as saying he didn’t need to declare a national emergency over immigration – yet he is prepared to undermine the Constitution over a fake problem to spend huge amounts of money on something that isn’t needed, whilst other elements of US infrastructure suffer. Clearly, the issue, whilst not made up, is vastly overstated.
It doesn’t really matter which political party one belongs to. Failing to follow the law is a grievous offense and the members of both parties have failed to adhere to different laws.
In the immigration case, it is the majority of liberals and Democrats who have taken upon themselves to decide which laws they will abide by and which ones they will ignore. It seems that to those two groups immigration laws have no meaning.
Not only are their actions a slap in the face to the legal immigrants and native citizens of American, It al;so sends a very serious message to the world. That message is that certain American citizens do not care about their country or their country’s laws
Those groups of people are telling the world that it is okay to ignore the laws America has rightfully put in place to protect its borders from those who only want to use the country for their personal gain and refuse to constructively contribute to America’s well-being.
There’s a lot of irony here. Trump and his Republican cronies have almost gleefully been selective about the rules and laws they will respect, especially concerning immigration, yet there is a deeper problem here – the lack of morality at the very heart of the US political right. Moreover, the mass character assassination of immigrants is quite shocking – many of them are not seeking personal gain – they are seeking safety and shelter from terrible problems back home – persecution in various forms. Remember that particular point, for it will be displayed again shortly.
The original settlers and the current illegal immigrants now residing or trying to enter America without following the law is very clear. North America did not have immigration laws to violate when the settlers arrived on its shores.
They were not illegal and they came to build a new life and build a strong new nation that allowed certain freedoms they could not get back in their home countries. The illegal immigrants only come for selfish reasons. They want what they can get for themselves at the expense of those who were born in the country and those who came to America legally.
Also, the original settlers were not lawbreakers, looking for welfare and other handouts. Whereas the illegal immigrants are law breakers regardless of the fact that they may live a crime free life once they get settled in the country. They have still violated properly made laws as soon as they cross the border via non-legal means.
I imagine the native Americans who were killed and forcibly displayed from their land will draw little comfort from the lack of defined immigration laws at a time when the issue was not understood. Does it, somehow, become acceptable in those circumstances?
We again have that little bit of character attack upon illegal immigrants. I guess they’re selfish for wanting to escape war zones and other unimaginable horrors? I guess because they do this via whatever channels are available to them, they’re selfish? I guess a legal situation absolves us of a moral duty?
To live in a society, one must make concessions. They must agree to live by a certain set of rules to make sure that lawlessness does not undermine the purpose behind living collectively. That means laws restricting entrance are needed to make sure the society continues to survive.
For those who do care about the laws of society, they must feel betrayed by their fellow citizens who refuse to adhere to those same laws. They must feel threatened because those not upholding the rule of law do not care about what happens to their fellow citizens and feel exposed to the dangers illegal aliens bring with them.
They also may feel betrayed because the resources that are made available to them and their families, friends and other legal immigrants are being drained to provide for those who do not care about American society and who only come with a selfish purpose.
Trump and his ilk do not care about the laws of society. They make judgements based on racism and stereotypes and fear-mongering, with the result being that people suffer and face judgement before they’ve even done anything. In a country which suffers rampant gun crime from established gun owners, it’s tragic to suggest it’s immigrants who do not care about society.
There’s more to his article, but it’s late, and I don’t have the patience to wade through all the justification as to why we should condemn every last illegal immigrant, just because. Maybe I’ll tackle the rest another time, but I’ll leave you with the notion that we have a moral obligation, as human beings, to help others who are in desperate need. This is not a Christian notion – this is a basic part of human nature. What does it say about the most powerful nation on earth if what bars people from getting help and hope is a piece of paper with rules written down upon it? I’m not saying to disregard every law and I’m not saying there shouldn’t be procedures for handling this sort of thing, but it’s typical of the conservative, religious right, to disregard principles of kindness and compassion, whenever it suits them.
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