In my last blog, I touched on how my faith had influenced my view on abortion. Similarly, today I’m going to explore how it’s influenced my view on immigration.

A note

I understand that both of these subjects are extremely polarizing in today’s politics. As I’ve discussed previously, I was raised by conservative parents in a liberal state, so I understand how too often, each side feels a sort of disgust for the other’s views, or even their person. I don’t want this blog to be a space for that — I want it to be a space for me to share my thoughts and opinions freely for people to receive and chew on. My goal is not to indoctrinate one person or the other, but to respectfully share my changing opinions.

The previous shift

My mom is Korean, but recently gained U.S. citizenship last year. She’s always told me about how much of her family in South Korea has been denied the opportunity to legally immigrate to the U.S., and how it’s unfair that while they respect that, others are being welcomed into the country for immigrating illegally. That always made sense to me — if people want the same thing equally, and some are willing to wait while others break the rules for it, I believed it was wrong to let those people go unpunished.

Maybe a year or so ago, my perspective shifted. I believed that people who enter the country illegally should face consequences, but that the path forward should be to expand opportunities for legal immigration, not border control. Now, with what I have learned and come to understand in light of my faith, it’s hard for me to reconcile with that belief. When I read stories about the people who have worked in America for years and are being deported from their now-homes, or of children taken from their parents who only wanted to grant them opportunities and safety, or of people fleeing their homes only to be denied entry to our country on the basis of border control, there’s something that moves me to change.

Now

I understand I am lucky to have been born in a place where I don’t have to worry about my safety, citizenship status, or future. So I think I’ve shifted again. I haven’t done an immense amount of research. I can’t say I support a fully open-border policy. But I also understand that my religion calls me to welcome the foreigner, and I think it’s my duty to recognize that barring individuals and families from coming to our country is rarely a good thing, a Christian thing, to do.