Politicians often seek votes by diving Americans along racial, economic and gender lines.  That has certainly been the case this year as conservative Republicans in Congress have sought to make Hispanic immigrants the scapegoats for America's economic problems. 

Among Christians, there is nearly universal agreement that harsh anti-immigrant legislation should be opposed.  Roman Catholic bishops and priests, mainline denominational leaders, and evangelical Hispanics have forged partnerships to oppose efforts that would both classify illegal immigrants as felons and punish church-based health and welfare agencies for serving the needs of immigrants. 

For the most part only the hard-line leaders of the Religious Right have spoken out in favor of anti-immigrant legislation.  Many of the groups pushing such legislation have ties with racist organizations and the Religious Right has been historically outspoken in their opposition to civil rights in America for racial minorities, women and the gay community.  It should come as no surprise that today the Religious Right finds common cause with groups such as the so-called Minutemen.

The Christian Century, in their most recent issue, offered a strong theological case for why Christians have an obligation to support immigrants:

All of us in this country are, except for Native Americans, immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. That fact is often cited, and rightly so, by those in favor of providing immigrants who have been living and working in this country a straightforward path to citizenship. Those who want to clamp down on the illegal immigrants (as many as 12 million) complain that the immigrants are driving down wages and overwhelming American culture. The hardliners reveal signs of xenophobia or even racism. The concern that new immigrants stick to themselves, aren't learning English and are threatening American culture was voiced in earlier eras about the Irish, the Italians and the Jews--who at the time were considered members of a different race from Anglo-Saxon Americans.

George W. Bush's experience in Texas, a state that has always had a sizable Mexican population, may explain why he takes a moderate position on immigration, whereas representatives who come from areas that have not historically been home to large numbers of Hispanics use the issue for political demagoguery.

One hardliner, Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.), has this response to those who say the economy would suffer without the immigrant laborers to pick and pack the nation's fruits and vegetables: "Let the prisoners pick the fruits." The notion that people in jail could replace immigrant labor in agriculture is absurd....

Jews and Christians share this scripture: "You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Exod. 22:21). Scripture says that God's people are to regard sojourners not with fear, indifference or loathing, but with love and respect. Movements to criminalize millions of individuals, break up families and destabilize industries are bad enough. The notion that the alien among us is anything other than beloved elicits some of scripture's strongest condemnations: "'Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.' All the people shall say, 'Amen!'" (Deut. 27:19).

Click here to read the full editoral.

There are many who hope to use this issue in the mid-term elections to further divide the American people.  Our job must be to educate our fellow church members about the issues involved and to seek reconciliation among God's people.  One way to start is to share this editorial with your family and friends.