People of Welcome

On immigration in the US

In late 2021, I stumbled across a social media post that changed my life. I know that sounds really hyperbolic, but it’s true. A friend had shared some information about a new program that had been introduced to help offset the grave humanitarian crisis that resulted when the US haphazardly pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took over.* Approximately 76,000 Afghans were granted humanitarian parole as part of Operation Allies Welcome (they were mostly direct US allies and assets, Christians, or other groups of people that would be persecuted under the new regime), and in the beginning many of these political refugees were housed in less-than-ideal conditions on military bases. The US government realized it needed to find a more permanent solution—and fast.

You’ve probably guessed long ago that I’m an empath, and it’s not a stretch to understand that this situation tugged at my conscience and took root in my heart. I simply couldn't let it go. So I reached out to my pastor and church council, and together we decided that our congregation would welcome one of these Afghan families.

It was not an easy journey. Some people in our community were really upset about the prospect of a family from a predominantly Muslim country moving into our small town, and the program we chose (the Afghan Resettlement Program through Samaritan’s Purse) was very time-consuming and volunteer-heavy. Our core group met often, took on specific, assigned roles (everything from housing coordinator to employment and financial support coordinator), and completed extensive online coursework about cultural differences and how to be good advocates for our new friends. We found a rental house, deep-cleaned and painted, and then set it up with donations from our congregation and community. It was such a bonding, joyful experience to work shoulder-to-shoulder with my brothers and sisters to prepare a beautiful home for a family in desperate need—a family that was, quite literally, running for their lives and trying to find a safe place to start over. It was hard for me to imagine that kind of desperation, but I took seriously the concept of break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdom’s cause,** so I threw myself into the work and looked forward to the day that we would welcome our new neighbors home.

For months, we prepared, prayed, and waited for a good fit. And then, on February 24 of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. By May, our church had been shifted from the Afghan Resettlement Program to a new initiative called Uniting for Ukraine. Just a few weeks later, we were matched with a Ukrainian brother and sister who soon made the journey to our little town in Northwest Iowa.

I could share so much more about our experience extending hospitality to these incredible people. They became dear friends and literal neighbors (they lived only a few doors down from my family), and were among the first of many immigrants who found a safe haven in our rural area. As our refugees were getting situated in the US, a woman in our town was tirelessly coordinating the resettlement of another 150+ Ukrainians who were fleeing the war! Some of these newcomers are still here while others have moved on to different places (our brother and sister duo have relocated closer to friends and family), but no matter where these friends end up, I hope that their time in Sioux Center was marked with warm welcome and new relationships that will leave a forever impact.

As for the many families that remain, they have been woven into the fabric of our lives. Their kids go to school with mine. They play on the same soccer teams and work in our community and attend our churches. My nephew is learning Ukrainian words and phrases so that he can connect with his new friends, and a woman who was a caterer back in Ukraine has wowed us all with her authentic, gourmet creations. There’s even a European grocery store now.

Our new neighbors are an absolute delight and have enriched our quiet little corner of Iowa in ways that we are deeply grateful for.

Lately, I’ve been drawn into some tense conversations surrounding our immigrant neighbors. People have very. big. feelings. about minority populations and how they found their way to our shores. I’m not an immigration expert. (For some really thoughtful and informed conversations around immigration, I’ll point you to Jason Leif, We Choose Welcome, and World Relief.) But I do have personal experience with asylum-seekers, immigrants, and refugees in my community, and feel compelled to dispel some myths about this diverse and beautiful group of people.

1. No one is illegal. Of course, I realize that there are some people in the United States who have crossed the border without going through the proper channels and who are living in our communities undocumented. But the rhetoric surrounding this population (exacerbated by the Trump administration) is dehumanizing and othering. It allows good, often godly men and women to separate humanity into US vs. THEM and then villainize and condemn an entire people group in often shocking and hateful ways. I will never get over so-called Christians (who are literally commanded to “love your neighbor as yourself”) calling undocumented immigrants rats, animals, and not-human.

   Let’s not mince words here: “dehumanization opens the doors for cruelty and genocide,” a tactic that was used to perpetuate the horrors of the Holocaust, during the Rwandan genocide, and throughout history when unimaginable atrocities took place. (Credit to David Livingstone Smith whose book Less Than Human is an exploration of the psychology of cruelty. You can listen to an interview with him here.) Bottom line, words matter, and diminishing people to a single act not only lacks nuance, it can be incredibly dangerous. And just plain wrong. In demonizing immigrants, people often make the mistake of lumping them all together—everyone is illegal/a criminal/violent/bad. That’s just not true. My Ukrainian, Haitian, and Guatemalan friends are not just wonderful people who make our community a better place, they are here legally on humanitarian visas. Many of the immigrants in our communities have also followed the proper steps to be here, and even if they haven’t, they are human beings full of inherent value and beloved image-bearers of God. Call them neighbor, friend, or undocumented if you are sure that it applies, but never illegal.

2. Immigrants—even undocumented ones—contribute to our society. According to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, “Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022.” In fact, “Income tax payments by undocumented immigrants are affected by laws that require them to pay more (emphasis mine) than otherwise similarly situated U.S. citizens. Undocumented immigrants are often barred from receiving meaningful tax credits and sometimes do not claim refunds they are owed due to lack of awareness, concern about their immigration status, or insufficient access to tax preparation assistance.” (You can read more about tax payments by undocumented immigrants here.) Not only do undocumented immigrants not benefit at all from the taxes they pay, they contribute significantly more than our beloved billionaires who, according to Americans for Tax Fairness, often pay nothing. (“Jeff Bezos paid zero in 2007 and 2011, Elon Musk paid zero in 2018, Michael Bloomberg paid zero several times in “recent years”, and George Soros paid zero three years in a row.”) And we haven’t even talked about immigrants with work authorization, who participate fully in the US tax system and keep our country and economy running. Who picks your fruit and harvests your vegetables? Works on your local farms? Busses your table and washes your dishes at your favorite restaurant?

3. The “violent immigrant” stereotype is a myth. Trump loves to talk about how immigrants are “rapists and killers,” but the facts don’t align with his rhetoric. According to the National Institute of Justice, undocumented immigrants have, by far, the lowest offending rates for felony crime compared to documented immigrants and US born citizens. The highest rate of offense? The “homegrowns.” Also, “For drug offenses, undocumented immigrants were less than half as likely to be arrested as native-born US citizens.” (Migration Policy Institute) The truth is, immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than those of us who were born and raised here. Some studies suggest this might be because of the “constant threat of deportation” to a place where they fled from violence or untenable conditions. Do immigrants commit crimes? Of course, some do. But you are grossly more likely to be the victim of a violent crime perpetrated by a US citizen.

   We don’t need to fear our immigrant neighbors.

4. Most immigrants to the US are Christians. According to Pew Research, 70% of immigrants to the US claim the Christian faith. As Christianity continues to decline in the US (holding steady at 62% right now down from 78% in 2007), we are importing believers at a rate higher than we are converting them. For those of us who claim the Christian faith, this should be incredible news! Our brothers and sisters in Christ are moving in next door—and our witness both to them and in linking arms with them should be a testament to the faithfulness of God from generation to generation.***

Thanks for sticking with me thus far. I realize that I am weaving back and forth between the issues surrounding documented and undocumented immigrants, and I understand that there are many unique conditions that impact these very different categories of immigration. But I hope you’ll look past my ineptitude to my heart for the foreigner and my desire to humanize this group of people who are so often misunderstood and maligned. And please, click the links in the article to read and learn more.

I love the quote: Build a bigger table, not a higher fence. I realize it’s a sentiment that not everyone can relate to. Fear, worry, and a desire to protect and preserve what’s mine can sometimes prevent us from living lives of generosity and welcome. And YES, I absolutely agree with and understand the need for there to be laws and regulations around immigration in the United States. We absolutely need immigration reform in this country (both republicans and democrats agree!), and safe, legal paths to citizenship as well as ways to keep out those who would do us harm. I’m all for it. Where the argument around immigration falls apart for me is when we believe (and perpetuate) lies and/or reduce our fellow human beings to caricatures or, even worse, demonize them. Maybe, if we had the opportunity to sit around a table together, we would learn that we’re not so different. After all, the vast majority of us are the descendants of immigrants (documented and not) who were once in the very same position we find our neighbors in. May we remember. And may we choose to be people of welcome.

Thanks for reading. xoxo - Nicole

*Before anyone comments, Biden did that!, let me say: Yes, I know, and I believe the manner in which he pulled our troops out of Afghanistan was wrong and harmed many innocent people. I realize that Trump set the withdrawal in motion, but Biden carried it out—and poorly. I remain deeply disappointed in his actions and the chaos and heartbreak that ensued. (On a related note, I think it’s essential for everyone to be able to criticize their elected officials and vehemently voice disagreement and disapproval when they make bad choices.)

**This is a line from the song Hosanna by Hillsong. I know the issues with Hillsong are myriad and very concerning, but this particular song really did have a big impact on me all those years ago…

***Yes, I am a Christian, but I do not believe that the US should only welcome Christian immigrants. I’m grateful for our new friends and neighbors no matter where they are from or what they believe.

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