The left always seeks to take the moral high ground, and that is the case once again in the ICE saga. Masters at sermonizing, progressives are seeking biblical authority for their protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. So, where does the truth lie in this supposition?
The process of removing illegal immigrants from the US homeland has become a lightning rod as it both attracts controversy and attempts to protect American citizens from criminals who came to the United States when the borders were wide open during Joe Biden’s administration. Now that this mass of humanity is here, the question of what to do is causing civil unrest in leftist cities across the nation.
ICE and the Bible
"Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." This passage from Deuteronomy 10:19 (KJV), quoted on the Church Equips website, is one leftists cite. They claim it demonstrates "God's heart for the stranger and Foreigner." Only three chapters before this edict, the Lord directed his people to drive out all those native to the land He chose to give to His chosen community:
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations – the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you – and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them all totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy."
Then there's Leviticus 19:33-34 (NIV), which closely resembles the Deuteronomy passage. It reads, "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God."
Square that with Romans 13:1-5 (NIV), which says:
"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established … But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer."
These quotes are not referenced to imply that God desires death and destruction, or that Scripture contradicts itself, but rather that He is a God of unlimited power and sovereignty whose purposes may be opaque to us. As he reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV), "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
In one case, His people are the aliens taking over someone else's land. Does this mean that God prefers the illegal alien over the natural citizen? Certainly not. As author Steve Cortes in The Daily Signal pointed out:
"What many church officials present as virtue often devolves into suicidal empathy — the impulse to feel generous without regard for order or consequence. But real compassion is never a blank check. And it must never override a nation's duty to protect its people."
ICE and the Principles of Justice
God never violates His principles of justice. Christians helping illegal aliens do not have a higher moral authority to flout the laws of a nation. It's vital to remember that these people came here illegally. They violated US laws and crossed the border in direct defiance of our federal authority.
It must also be said that President Donald Trump has ordered ICE to go after those who have criminal records in this country or their country of origin. Allowing these people to remain endangers American citizens. Just ask the family of Laken Riley, the five children of Rachel Morin, and the parents of Matthew Denice, age 23, who was fatally struck by a drunk illegal alien. The Americans for Legal Immigration PAC has a list of those killed by illegals, and it is staggeringly long.
Is God in My Corner?
Appropriating Biblical authority to one's cause is a road well-traveled, but it's a treacherous path. Those on the left protesting and committing violent acts against ICE authorities should not make the mistake of believing that they are doing God's work. Interrupting worship services, spitting on government law enforcement, resisting arrest, and ramming an SUV into a crowd of ICE agents may make them feel good about themselves. Still, it's highly unlikely that, based on His character, God would be pleased with their actions.
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