Christian Counseling: How Important is Illegal Immigration To The Average Citizen?

This writing was prompted by Fox News commentary and an August 29, 2011 article by Edwin Mora of CNSNews who reported Labor Secretary, Hilda Soles, signed an agreement with Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and El Salvador giving all immigrants in the U.S. protection from labor abuses. She fully supports legals' and illegals' rights and benefits under that agreement and commented that illegals need not fear reporting employer abuse because they will not be deported.    

The moment the word "illegal," as in illegal immigration, is used it should rightfully stir all to ask questions, especially Christians because it is not just a legal issue, but a moral issue with consequences that run deep for everyone.

Illegal immigration is a touchy topic, subject to many different "politically correct" views, abuses on all sides and extremely relevant for every American citizen. The idea and reasonable practice of immigration brings me joy (my father and about 20 other family members migrated to the US in the early 1900's), giving them, and eventually me, opportunities that did not exist in Italy. On the other hand, illegal immigration, though I care about the plight of refugees and those struggling to eek out an existence elsewhere, brings indignation when I compare them to those who respect our good laws and patiently wade through the citizen application process. Finally, I distrust people in government who violate their pledge--to uphold the laws of the land, such as those relative to illegal immigration.

If people did not have a sin nature, all countries could have an open border policy, perhaps there would not even be any countries, but only one world, one land for all. However, with the presence of evil, no country can permit an open border, whether in law or practice without dire consequences, especially when that country is wealthy and rich in opportunities like America. Of the many consequences of this current administration's practice of implying American's borders are open, here are two of them that concern us all. The first is the freedom of terrorists to cross our borders. I have no doubt those illegal crossings have happened many times in the last several years and even more since 2009 since Obama took office. I believe a good number acts of terrorism will be committed in our country in the coming years, but when it becomes known they were done by illegals, there is going to be an outrage from our citizens that is directed more at our own government than those conspiring terrorist states for allowing politics and so called political correctness to supersede the protection of Americans.

The second concern about the practice of implying we have open boarders is the erosion of values, morals, role models and trust of the American people, as well as the world, toward authority. This may be subtle or it may be obvious to readers, but when authority figures disregard laws, put their own political agenda ahead of the will of the people they swore to serve and act corruptly with impunity it greatly impacts the citizenry. To put it another way, our society has been showing signs of collapse--people who are becoming more suspicious, uncaring, lacking personal boundaries, corrupt, disunited, immoral, angry and hateful, disloyal, ungrateful and lovers of self. If those descriptors sound familiar, many of them are also contained in 2 Timothy 3:1-4 regarding the end of days. This is how cultures and countries fall from within, from moral decay.

Illegal immigration is an important issue even though it is only one of many sensitive issues in our country. Its importance is also recognized in that it not only affects immigrants, but every American citizen in very specific ways--financially (we pay for the increased work required of the Department of Labor to uphold its regulations and agreements), morally (giving all illegal aliens a pass from the law, tempts us to violate laws expecting a similar pass--entitlement), and psychologically (anxiety over the deterioration of our society, as well as the insecurity of our country's future--affecting the business world, unemployment and investments).

It is my hope that all Americans see the personal relevance in every issue that faces our nation, and then asks themselves, "What am I willing to do to help protect me and my loved ones' future, as well as America's future?" The first step is to be informed.