Immigration reform has seen momentum as well as standstills. There is a lot of fear surrounding this topic and I have always wondered why? Besides the fact that welcoming and showing kindness to strangers is an extremely Biblical commandment, it has never made sense to me that people with a history of being immigrants themselves can be so negative to immigrants today.
Immigration reform NEEDS to happen and needs to happen NOW!
It is inevitable and nothing to be afraid of. And yet, as seen in this blog article from Bread for the World, immigration reform seems to be caught in limbo. I believe a lot of Christians these days love to throw around terms like restoration, revitalization and renewal not only for their faith but for the communities around them. These are all wonderful words and what a great thing to be a part of in bringing the kingdom of God to the earth.
But something get's halted...
we are only serious about restoration if it's on our own terms. We after all know what's best? and that usually involves resistance to change. But what if change is good! What if change can bring those words to life! Even in a way we might not expect...
Detroit might just be an example of change that has multi-faceted positive outcomes. In an op-ed article in the Detroit News, Governor Rick Snyder proposed a plan to give $50,000 visas to immigrants over a five year period to those who would be willing to live in work in Detroit. Detroit lost a significant percentage of their population in the past decade and the economy has suffered greatly. "Immigrant entrepreneurship is an American tradition," the article states.
So, if immigration is a part of our history, why is reform so scary? Why are we saying that immigrants can't contribute when there is clearly space enough? When immigrants can be part of the solution by joining us side by side in boosting the economy?
We can work together. Major changes need to be made in giving immigrants opportunities to become citizens, but at the very least to be able to live, learn and work with dignity in the meantime.
