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Oklahoma passed a set of immigration laws recently. Here is the article. Among other things it “makes it a felony for U.S. citizens to knowingly provide shelter, transportation or employment to illegal immigrants.”

That government would make it illegal to benevolent is unbelievable. If an Oklahoma resident come across a family of Mexicans that are in the U.S. illegally and they have absolutely no place to sleep that night and it’s 18 degrees outside, to let them camp out in his garage would be a felony!!! Granted, the chances of that situation happening are pretty slim, but that’s not the point. To deny a human being basic necessities like shelter just seems wrong.

The immigration issue has been serious for a while. And, for me, the question boils down to this:

Do I welcome or reject those who were born in impoverished circumstances and are seeking to raise their standard of living to a fraction of what I have enjoyed?

Here’s the problem: It might make my standard of living go down. It might cause me problems. It might make my life difficult.

I know, I know. That’s oversimplified. There are a lot of things to think about. A lot of consequences to consider. But, personally, I’m putting out the welcome mat.
History will judge us on this kind of stuff. In 1939 the S.S. St. Louis was loaded down with Jews that were fleeing Hitler’s regime. They, however, were denied refuge in port after port before finally returning to Germany. We look back and say, “Man, those countries were jerks. How could they ever do that?”

But, back then, they were probably were saying things like “We don’t want to get mixed up in this.” or “Just think of all the problems this could cause us.” The same stuff we’re saying about immigration today. It’s different, I know. But, the basic principle is the same.

But that’s not the main reason I’m putting out the welcome mat. I follow Jesus Christ. And Jesus lived his life serving the outcast. He hung out with the folks that the mainstream said weren’t worthy of “shelter, transportation, or employment” (though, to my knowledge no laws were passed against offering it). So, when it comes down to solidarity with and service to the less fortunate or rejection thereof. I’m choosing the former.

I’m not saying we need to swing open the gates. We don’t need a free for all. It just seems to me that these new measures are going in the wrong direction.

Doesn’t the Statue of Liberty say something about all this? “Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free . . .”