God commanded a system of tithing to make provision for the priesthood, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows.  The promise of God’s blessing accompanies this mandate. I wonder how much of fundamentalist church budgets, which are generally funded by tithes, is earmarked for care of the aliens living among us.

Matthew 25:35 (New International Version)

35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…

Contrast these words of Jesus with the legislation that was recently under consideration.  The verse would have to be written quite differently to reflect the heart of the proposed laws.

“I was a stranger and you built a wall to prevent my visitation. I was a stranger and you denied me food, shelter and clothing. I was a stranger and you oppressed and mistreated me.  I was a stranger and you deported me.  I was a stranger and you charged me with a crime…”

Proverbs 31:8-9 (New International Version)

8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

The illegal immigrants among us certainly are included in this text because they cannot speak for themselves and they are generally poor and needy.  Who speaks for those immigrants forced to live in hiding among us? 

I wonder what Native Americans think about the current debate.  Maybe our legislators in the quest for wisdom should consult them.  Modern Americans should never lose sight of our own history of immigration and whose land this rightfully and originally belonged to.  The harshest immigration policymakers on this matter seem to be narrowly locked into more modern historical models.   They tend to exclude from their thinking the ways and means of immigration to this land from its inception and the gracious hosts who greeted the Pilgrims and shared America with them.   Think Thanksgiving. 

The poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty should be considered as we seek to move forward with immigration reform.  This poetic verse conveys a proactive compassion toward foreigners longing for the opportunities afforded by living in a country once known for its benevolent reception of the oppressed.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

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