By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t want to reform our country’s immigration system. The question is how.

In thinking about Lutheran teaching on immigration, I can almost hear Martin Luther use the ancient catechetical method of question and answer: What does this mean? What does just and compassionate immigration policy look like?

When Luther asks what the commandment “You shall not kill” means, he writes, “We are to fear and love God so that we do not harm or endanger our neighbor in any way, but help and support them in all of life’s needs.” What would he say about just and compassionate immigration? What does this mean?

“We are two months from Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.”

Through its social messages, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America provides the following answer:

  • Regard each person with dignity, as a beloved creature of God.
  • Make sure your country does its fair share in our global responsibility to welcome the stranger.
  • As you welcome others, do not discriminate on the basis of race or religion.
  • Pay special attention to children and reuniting families.
  • As you enforce policies, regard each person with dignity, as a beloved creature of God.

 

WE ARE TWO months from Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. Voting is a form of advocacy; a way to influence policy around issues such as immigration reform.

The International Rescue Committee suggests a couple questions to ask candidates running for public office:

  1. Do you support the rebuilding of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and a commitment to welcoming at least 95,000 refugees annually?
  2. Do you support upholding asylum protections in accordance with domestic and international law and public health guidance, and to refocus U.S. efforts to support Central American countries to reduce the violence that is driving people from their homes, to respond to their needs, and to eventually make life safe and livable in northern Central America?

“As you enforce policies, regard each person with dignity, as a beloved creature of God.”

In addition to asking candidates about immigration, let’s also ask ourselves: Are we praying for refugees and our elected leaders? Are we working within our congregations to grow as places of welcome and compassion? Hopefully, we can all join together in saying yes.