What is the sanctuary movement?

Response

The sanctuary movement defines itself as “a growing movement of immigrants and over 800 faith communities doing what Congress and the Administration refuse to do: protect and stand with immigrants facing deportation.” The sanctuary movement originated in the United States at the Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona. In 1980, Southside was the first to proclaim itself a sanctuary for Central American refugees escaping civil wars and corrupt governments. However, proponents of the sanctuary movement argue that the concept of sanctuary can be traced back to the Old Testament and has persisted through movements like the Underground Railroad and sheltering Jews during World War II.

In recent years, the sanctuary movement has gained traction due to President Trump’s efforts to bring order to the United States’ immigration policies and enforce existing U.S. laws. The government has intensified its actions to reduce the influx of people into the country and deport those who have entered unlawfully. Regrettably, this has led to a rise in heartbreaking stories: families being separated, children left behind, and good individuals uprooted from their homes.

Undoubtedly, undocumented immigrants are human beings, made in God’s image and deserving of care and respect “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”, (Genesis 1:27). In acknowledgment of this truth, some Christians and churches have aligned with the sanctuary movement and are resisting what they perceive as the government’s uncompassionate policies. The year 2014 witnessed a revival of the sanctuary movement at the same Tucson church where it originated three decades ago. Since then, hundreds of additional churches have declared themselves sanctuaries where undocumented individuals can reside.

Go for help and protection. Some churches physically hide families or family members who have been targeted for deportation. They consider their actions on par with hiding Jews from Hitler’s Nazi forces.

But can providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants be equated to hiding European Jews in the 1940s? Are ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents modern Nazis? Such comparisons are exaggerated and diminish the horrors of the Holocaust. The Jews in Nazi-controlled countries were prevented from leaving their homelands and faced death if caught. The undocumented immigrants of today are entering a sovereign country illegally, which means they are violating laws, and no government is attempting to kill them.

Scriptural support for the sanctuary movement is uncertain at best, but the motivation for many in the sanctuary movement is a belief that God commands their actions. They reference Old Testament passages such as Exodus 22:21 and Leviticus 19:34: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” But were these commands from the Mosaic Law intended to dictate governmental policy for the United States of America? Does God expect that His commands to Israel be made the standard for all nations?

If the answer is yes, then we must also ask, “Why only those commands?” If we’re going to assert that this civic instruction is God’s law for every culture, then we must treat all the Mosaic laws equally. Ironically, a large percentage of churches participating in the sanctuary movement also support homosexuality. So they claim to adhere to Leviticus 19:34 while they condemn Leviticus 20:13. They also overlook Leviticus 25:44–46, which states, “Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property.”

“… and can make them slaves for life.” Are we to believe that God’s command to love the foreigner is more binding than His command, just a few verses later, to take foreigners as slaves? While citing Levitical law sounds authoritative to those who don’t read the Bible in context, the inconsistency is too glaring to ignore.

Ancient Israel was a theocracy, a people ruled by God alone and established for His own glory (Judges 8:23; 1 Samuel 12:12; Jeremiah 13:11). The foreigners accepted into Israelite culture were expected to become Israelites. They were to follow the same laws, offer the same sacrifices, and worship the same God “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.”, (Exodus 12:49). In fact, in 2 Kings 17:25–26, a group of immigrants neglected to worship the Lord in the way He had commanded, so He sent lions among them to kill them.

There is nothing immoral about a country having defined borders. To avoid chaos, countries must have laws, and, for laws to be meaningful, they must be enforced. Laws should be just, and they should promote morality. But nothing in the Bible prohibits a country from having borders, and Scripture never forbids a country from enforcing its own laws. Just the opposite: Romans 13:1–7 indicates that the government has God’s authority to punish lawbreakers. Whether the punishment is imprisonment, deportation, or even something more severe, it is within the rights of the government to determine. Christians, in the sanctuary movement or not, should work to ensure the laws of the land are just, but they should not work to circumvent existing law.

There are many ways concerned citizens have helped immigrants desiring to assimilate into American culture. Personal sponsorship of families and volunteering with iImmigration agencies provide opportunities for engagement. Numerous reputable Christian organizations engage with immigrants, spreading the gospel while offering assistance with accommodation, vocational training, and language acquisition. Churches have the authority to advocate for undocumented individuals in their communities, but they overstep boundaries when they interfere with legal processes.

The sanctuary movement within the church is driven by a well-meaning but misguided enthusiasm rooted in biblical passages that were not meant to form the basis of public policy. Addressing the immigration dilemma is complex and not straightforward. Christians are called to show love to their neighbors while also upholding the law; these principles should not contradict each other.