Season 3 Episode 9: Illegal Immigration Part II: What Can You Do? Wise, Compassionate Solutions

Do you ever feel like you can’t publicly say what you really think about the chaos at the border that’s now spilling across America? Do you ever feel like you can’t do anything about the illegal immigration crisis? Actually, you can do a lot.

Mar 6, 2024

17 Min 13 Sec

View the podcast script

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 2.0

Do you ever feel like you can’t publicly say what you really think about the chaos at the border that’s now spilling across America? Do you ever feel like you can’t do anything about the illegal immigration crisis?

That’s what we are talking about today. I want to talk about the difference between

compassion without wisdom
and compassion with wisdom on this specific issue.

I want to talk about the 2 questions every Christian should ask about any immigration plan. And want to talk about the 5 things you can do, starting today.

I’m Brad Bright. Welcome to the God is the Issue podcast where we show how God is the issue in every issue.

In my last episode, I talked about 3 kinds of compassion:

PRETEND – False compassion designed to mask a hidden agenda. Not real compassion.
BLIND – Real compassion. Unwise compassion. Which makes you a FOOL.
WISE – benefits you and others.

Jesus said we are to be as shrewd as snakes but as innocent as doves in Matthew 10:16. In other words, be compassionate, but don’t be foolish.

Today, I want to talk about what wise compassion looks like when applied to the issue of illegal immigration?

A wise and compassionate solution must, as much as possible, consider ALL the parties that are impacted.

1ST QUESTION:

Here are the first OF two questions we must ask if we wish to find a compassionate but wise solution for illegal immigration:

Does the immigration policy consider EVERYONE NEGATIVELY impacted, or just illegal aliens?

Does it recognize the countless Laken Rileys who have either been raped, assaulted, or murdered by illegal foreigners? If it doesn’t, then it is not only unwise, but it is also IMMORAL.

So, WHO in addition to illegal aliens are callously affected by an open border?

1) Americans who are assaulted, raped or killed by illegals.

Almost 2 weeks ago, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at UGA, was murdered by a Venezuelan illegal foreigner while she was out for a jog. The Illegal beat her so badly that her skull was disfigured. That’s just one of the most recent violent slayings of an American by an illegal alien.

Last week, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif), who is running for the US Senate in California said, “I think the important thing to focus on is any one instance shouldn’t shape our overall immigration policy.” The instance she was referring to was Laken Riley.

I agree with Katie. Immigration policy should not be shaped by just one instance.

Have you been watching the news lately? Almost every day it seems we hear about another assault, rape or murder of an American citizen by an illegal. May I give you some real numbers revealing the dark underbelly of illegal immigration?

In Texas alone: 2011-2024

950 illegals charged with homicide
64,000 illegals charged with assault
299,000 illegals charged with criminal offenses.

These numbers include ONLY illegals who the border patrol had fingerprinted and released. 299,000.

So, I agree with California Rep. Katie Porter’s criteria. One instance should not shape our immigration policy. I wonder if she would concede that 299,000 INSTANCES should?

How many more Laken Riley’s will have to have their heads bashed in by illegals before US Senate Candidate Katie Porter will admit that our open border immigration policy is truly IMMORAL?

2) Fentanyl addicts whose addictions are made possible by Mexican drug cartels smuggling fentanyl across the OPEN southern border.

In 2021, the CDC reported Fentanyl and other synthetic opioid overdoses killed more than 70,000 people in the US. That’s a lot of “instances.”

I wonder if Katie Porter would agree that the deaths of 70,000 fentanyl addicts in one year would be enough “INSTANCES” to qualify for helping to shape immigration policy?

3) Young migrant girls being sex trafficked.

4) People in the overrun border towns.

5) Americans who struggle to find a job because of the glut of illegal immigrants.

6) Taxpayers who pay to house and feed illegals while they struggle to house and feed their own children.

7) Americans who WILL BE killed by terrorists who crossed the OPEN border the last couple years.

Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran. They hate us. They call us the Great Satan. They already demonstrated at 9/11 that they are willing to die in order to kill us. And we put out the welcome mat for them at our southern border.

That’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start.

2ND QUESTION:

But that leads to the second question. Considering all the above, what border policy is best if we want to be both wise and compassionate?

The answer is: Any immigration policy that allows us to VET every single potential immigrant BEFORE they ever set foot on US soil.

That helps protect both Americans and the millions of deserving immigrants who will be welcomed into the country.

So let’s apply this GRID to the various immigration alternatives:

OPEN BORDER POLICY:

Does an OPEN BORDER POLICY demonstrate wise compassion? Does it vet every potential immigrant before they enter the US?

No! Almost no one gets VETTED before they come in. In fact, since the open border policy is the primary cause of an increasing number of PREVENTABLE rapes, assaults, homicides, drug overdoses and forced prostitution, it is clearly IMMORAL.

Our open border policy is the primary cause of Laken Riley’s horrendous death. Her blood is on the hands, not just of one illegal from Venezuela, but also on the hands of every politician who does not oppose our OPEN border policy.

It is the primary cause of 64,000 assaults in Texas.

Is it the primary cause of 70,000 fentanyl overdoses.

That’s IMMORAL!

What about a STAY IN MEXICO policy?

It would slow the chaotic mass of unvetted immigrants flooding across the border. A majority of immigrants would be vetted before being admitted to the US. That’s wise. But it doesn’t vet immigrants who are still going to sneak across the border.

It probably would reduce the number of 15-year-old girls forced into prostitution. That’s both compassionate and wise.

It still allows terrorists to slither across the border. It still allows a lot of fentanyl to be smuggled across the border. It will probably reduce the number of Laken Rileys, but it wouldn’t stop it.

So, it’s a step in the right direction, but it will still not prevent a lot of the violence & drugs inflicted on Americans by Illegals.

What about BUILDING A WALL? Is it wise? Is it compassionate?

I think the Pope would say it is not compassionate since he said building walls is not “Christian.” However, there’s still a really big wall on the southern border of the Vatican State so you can’t really take the Pope too seriously on this one.

Besides, the Old Testament is full of examples of Israel building walled cities with God’s blessing. Especially Jerusalem. They built walls for protection. Maybe we should learn something from them.

In the book of Revelation the new Jerusalem has

high walls,
12 gates,
angels posted at every gate to keep some folks out.

Maybe we should learn from the book of Revelation.

Protective walls are seen throughout the Bible. They are in the new Jerusalem that God, himself will build. And they surround the Vatican State. So much for the Pope’s statement that walls are not “Christian.”

But how would a WALL on the southern border affect both Americans at risk AND Illegal Immigrants?

Let’s be honest,

It would prevent most immigrants from entering the country without being vetted first.
It would make it much harder for terrorists to enter.
It would make it much more difficult to smuggle fentanyl across the border.
Over time, it would probably drive the number of rapes, assaults and homicides committed by immigrants to near zero as we weed out the undesirables.
It would keep American’s much safer.

The only downside is for the illegal immigrants. They wouldn’t all get in. That’s a good thing. However, probably not all the DESERVING folks who like to come in, will get in. If you have compassion, that’s hard one.

So, what can we do to alleviate that?

Compassion demands that we do what we can to help. We start by building a wall. Here’s why….

Building a wall is shrewd. It is wise.

Once the border is truly secure, it will force Congress, the Senate and the President to come up with a viable immigration plan that welcomes deserving immigrants into our American family, but keeps out the riff raff.

Until the wall is built, the politicians will keep on squabbling and finger pointing. The wall will force them to act.

We need hard working, God-fearing immigrants. We need them as much as they need us. We need immigrants who want to contribute, and they need us to give them a chance.

However, we don’t need killers, drug dealers, gang members, rapists, pedophiles, criminals, or free loaders.

This is the land of opportunity, not the land of handouts.

We can’t welcome everybody in. But compassion demands that we welcome in those we can. And we can go a long way down that road.

It’s not perfect, but it no longer considers the welfare of illegal immigrants as MORE important than the safety, welfare and lives of our fellow Americans.

1 Timothy 5:7 says that he who does not provide for his own is worse than an infidel. The statement was directed at families, but I think the principle applies on a national scale as well. Let’s make sure we don’t forget to take care of our own.

This is an example of what it means to be as shrewd as a snake, but as innocent as a dove. Jesus commands us to be both compassionate — and wise. Because compassion without wisdom — makes you unwise. It makes you what the Bible calls a FOOL. And the Bible does not speak highly of fools.

But what can you start doing today?

1) Stand up and speak up for the Laken Rileys! For the families of fentanyl addicts. Refuse to be intimidated. Be gracious but be clear.

2) Financially support overseas missions that unambiguously proclaim Jesus while seeking to help the poor and downtrodden in other countries. Widespread poverty in a nation is usually caused by some element of cultural brokenness.

In Latin America it is the “Morbida.” I did a whole podcast on that one. In Africa, it is fatalism — “Whatever will be, will be.” It rarely has much to do with natural resources.

If you don’t address that brokenness with the gospel on the individual level, not much will change for the better.

Go on short term missions to help build churches and homes in Jesus’ name, giving locals the opportunity to begin a relationship with the God who loves them.

3) Vote for politicians who you think will use both compassion and wisdom. It will probably take a little bit of research on your part, looking at their stated positions, but most importantly at their voting records.

iVoterGuide.com can help. Check it out.

Folks, we are in this crisis because We the People HIRED corrupt politicians who do not exercise wise compassion when it comes to illegal immigration.

It’s time to FIRE them.

Vote wisely and encourage others to do the same.

4) Pray. Action without prayer is foolish. It’s telling God you can fix the immigration challenge without his help.

Good luck with that. Don’t be a fool. Pray.