The Immigrant Crisis

Lately, it seems the media and social networks have been inundated by a big brouhaha over a caravan of migrants from Honduras bound for the United States by way of Mexico. How should we respond amidst the noise of political yammering, especially those of us who are Christians and whose principles are not bound by the arbitrary dictates of terrestrial politics?

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First, some context. There have been natural disasters, political crises, and foreign meddling including lots of US government fingerprints. This results in economic chaos and poverty. Crime is also an epidemic in Honduras. Honduras is a major drug trade hub, which is in large part a consequence of the US government's drug war, and thus holds some responsibility for the creation and sustenance of violent black markets across the world. This violence in Honduras is especially egregious, and in recent years it has been ranked first in the world for murder rates in a non-war country as gangs squabble for control like more little governments in the wake of all the aforementioned turmoil.

Today, people fleeing this disaster zone are being condemned as criminals by nationalists. As with every immigration scare I can remember over the past 20 or 30 years, this is being presented as an existential threat to the United States on the level of military invasion, or some kind of partisan propaganda scheme, regardless of how the USA is in part responsible for the actual existential threat from which they are fleeing as refugees. We are told they will drain our welfare system, inflict more crime, and then vote for the wrong political party somehow despite being refugees seeking political asylum. This is treated as if it were an ironclad argument to prevent their travel.

"A welfare state is frightened of every poor person who tries to get in and every rich person who tries to get out"—Harry Browne

Philosophically, I see no legitimacy whatsoever in political arguments like this. Remember that the government does not represent us. We have no stake in it. Government borders are gang turf boundaries. Democracy is a charlatan's trick to buy our compliance through the illusion of public consent, and nothing more. Theologically, we are in the world, but not of it. Our duty is charity, not support for the counterfeit theft-funded, corruption-riddled political handouts government claims to offer in our stead. Where is our duty? Do we serve the State, or do we serve Christ?

Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’

The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
(Matthew 25:34-40, WEB)