A man knocks on your door. A woman is with him. She appears to be pregnant. The man says she is about to give birth, but they can find no place for her to rest. Because they are strangers they cannot find shelter. The local hotel will not admit them, nor any of your neighbors. What do you do?
All religions admonish their followers to admit the stranger. But we are afraid. International and U.S. law require us to provide asylum to those from other countries who are in danger because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion when they have a well-founded fear of persecution. Those seeking asylum are not merely wanting to immigrate for economic reasons or because they want to live in a place different from their home country. They are in danger. They seek refuge. They are asking us to help them be safe.
President Trump closed the Southern border of the U.S. to all refugees and asylum seekers on January 20, 2025, in violation of U.S. and international law. His executive order states that people arriving at the border are an "invasion." The Southern border is closed until he declares the invasion over.
I remember reading about a man whose car had broken down on a country road at night. He went to a nearby house for help. The owner came to the door with a gun and shot him dead. Because he was black and the homeowner was white.
Thousands of strangers have knocked at our borders only to be turned away no matter the threats they face. Thousands of 'foreigners' living in the U.S., who are seeking asylum from danger in their home countries -- Iran, Israel, Sudan . . . have been deported. The hypocrisy is overwhelming as people in the U.S. celebrate the birth of Jesus, born in a barn because there was no other place that welcomed them. What if one of those desperate people we turned away at our Southern border is following in Jesus' footsteps? Like many of them, Jesus and his family were poor. If this is a test, we're failing miserably. The star of Bethlehem has gone out. The Wise men have nothing to follow. They will not be able to find the holy child.