The Body of Christ, the Family of God and the Border: Christian Responses to the Immigration Crisis

Immigration and Customs Enforcement worksite enforcement operation in Canton, Miss. (Photo: Public Domain Dedication. Public Use Notice of Limitations)

By Alexia Salvatierra

Many Americans would say that the U.S. is in the middle of an immigration crisis. According to the Gallup poll of Fall 2024, 41% of American voters named immigration as an extremely important in their decisions about a candidate and 72% thought it was at least very important.

However, the definition of the crisis varies. Some agree with President Trump’s 2015 statement:

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. […] They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people” (Time Magazine 2015)[1].

That perspective views the immigration crisis as an invasion by dangerous criminals, exacerbated by a border that is out of control.

Those who are directly connected to immigrants may view the crisis somewhat differently. A farmer who depends on migrant labor may view the crisis as the lack of a sufficient number of visas for farm workers. A Silicon Valley entrepreneur might be concerned about the difficulty of obtaining H1 visas for high tech employees from India, or having to pay over $100,000 per year per H1 visa. Immigrants and the networks of those who care for them see the crisis in very different terms. For immigrants and their families, co-workers, fellow church members and friends, the system is also illogical, unjust and inhumane – particularly since the beginning of the second administration of President Trump.

The Current Immigration Crisis:

Since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965[2], three preferences determine the majority of immigrants’ admission to the United States; we call them blood (family relationships), sweat (employer petitions) and tears (forced migration fleeing persecution). While potential immigrants in all categories are currently experiencing a crisis, the “tears” category is a central target of current immigration policy.

Refugees are individuals who are legally determined to be fleeing persecution in their land of origin as a result of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.[3] They are extensively vetted in order to meet this criteria and are granted status when they are outside the borders of the United States. Whether refugees are allowed to actually enter the U.S. is subsequently dependent on quotas and other policies, such as the current ban on refugees from specified countries.

Asylum-seekers, on the other hand, ask at the U.S. border to begin the vetting process. Asylum-seekers are usually legally present in the United States during the vetting process unless and until their petition is denied, although some have had to remain on the other side of the border and be vetted through online interviews. Temporary Protected Status is a category which grants temporary permission to stay in the US for people fleeing a country which has been determined by the federal government to be extremely dangerous to residents through armed conflict or natural disasters. When the temporary protected status ends, individuals who have been protected under that category can seek asylum.

The number of people experiencing forced migration internationally in 2024 was 123.2 million, double the number of a decade ago. Roughly 60% are internally displaced and the rest are currently outside their country of origin.[4] The sheer amount of need is triggering territorial concerns and anti-immigrant sentiment around the globe, particularly in relatively prosperous destination countries (even though most global refugees stay in poorer countries closer to their country of origin).

In the U.S., according to Gallup, 55% of Americans wanted to reduce immigration around the time of the election in 2024. This reaction emerged as a direct response to the numbers of asylum-seekers arriving from the human rights crises in Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua.[5]

The Trump Administration has responded to this influx of asylum-seekers with a variety of draconian measures: ending funds for refugee support, closing the border to new asylum-seekers and ending temporary protected status for Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as well as other humanitarian programs covering Afghanis and Ukranians. Perhaps most disturbing, there has been a concentrated push to forcibly detain asylum-seekers after their court hearings[6] – even in the absence of any negative judgement – and in some cases even before they have the chance to be heard in court. Detainees are routinely taken without any notice or information about their whereabouts given to their families. Some are taken to other countries that are infamous for human rights violations where they are placed in prisons that do not meet the minimum standard for care or protection. While the administration claims that they are focusing their enforcement efforts on dangerous criminals, we know that there is little to no evidence for that claim. According to the Cato Institute, 65% of those detained by ICE in 2025 have committed no criminal offenses and 93% have not committed a violent crime. (The 35% that have a criminal offense includes all those with immigration-related offenses – e.g. they have previously been in deportation proceedings for the lack of legal status in the U.S.)[7]

In CECOT, the worst prison in El Salvador, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker who was a gay barber in Hollywood was sent to serve an indefinite sentence. The only evidence of his supposed criminal ties was a tattoo of a crown, which was interpreted as a gang tattoo by a government contractor with a complicated past, but it could have easily been a cultural tattoo[8]. The government of El Salvador receives $20,000 per inmate per year from the administration to incarcerate these deportees. Within the U.S., new detention centers are being built with names like “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Ongoing raids in large urban centers and on commercial farms arrest and detain undocumented workers, many of whom have been in the country since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 caused the failure of the Mexican corn industry and the massive growth of U.S. agribusiness. These workers are currently heads of families, home owners, pillars of their community and building blocks of local economies. The hole left by their detention is causing serious economic hardship.

In the immigration sweeps, Latino/a U.S. citizens have also been arrested. Although they are later released, the experience is traumatic and leaves emotional scars. A video from the cell phone of a victim of arrest documents a moment when the young man tells the masked officers “You can’t arrest me. I was born in this country.” The immigration officer responds “You have no rights; you are an amigo.” One officer says, “We are going to have to start shooting them soon.” Another mentions a potential $50,000 bonus. This kind of treatment causes emotional and psychological scars. Citizen and immigrant children have been detained with their parents in adult detention centers.

To put flesh on the facts, M. is a young mother whose Nicaraguan husband’s lawyer says has a strong asylum case. He went to court a little over two weeks ago, received an extension from the judge. He was promptly detained taken away by ICE. M had been in the waiting room with her infant and preschool twins. A group of faith leaders who were praying outside the facility were able to provide immediate support to her, but she is devastated and struggling with how she and her family will survive. M could not find her husband for several days, and finally was able to locate him in a detention center out of state where she cannot visit him. On phone calls, he describes a lack of food and medical care as well as unsanitary and crowded facilities.

The immigration crisis for immigrant networks means the violation of due process, cruel treatment and the anguish of affected families. How you understand and respond to the immigration crisis depends on who you are – on your individual and collective identity.

A Theological Response: We are the Body of Christ and the Family of God: 

The Body of Christ:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

Our collective identity with all other believers is powerfully expressed by the metaphor of a body. This came home to me on a deeper level recently when I broke my ankle. The rest of my body was in pain as well. I could not ignore my ankle and either enjoy my life or carry out my work. The image of the body of Christ implies that we do the work of Christ together as a collective unit. If we have pain in our members that is unaddressed, we cannot be a healthy, coordinated body capable of doing his work.

The members of the Body of Christ have to relate to each other in a way that shifts traditional power relationships. In order for the full gifts of all to be recognized and used, we have to give particular emphasis and honor to the parts that have been less valued. This offers a critically important corrective to the sense of overwhelm that provokes the desire to close the circle. If the members of the body with the most need are bringing gifts worthy of particular honor, then serving their needs is not a zero sum game. We will receive as much or more than we give.

That can be hard for people with more power and resources to trust. However, this reversal of power was lived out in the early church in the story of the creation of the office of deacon in Acts 6. They were sharing their goods in common, and the widows of the Hellenists (immigrants to Israel) complained about being treated unequally in the daily distribution of food. The apostles, all Hebraists (born citizens of Israel) decided to create a committee to decide all food allocation.  They let the church decide whom to place on this powerful committee. The names of all of those chosen were Greek; they were Hellenists/immigrants. In general, a church led by the more privileged group might bring on a representative of the less privileged group to help make decisions, or at best to allow half of the group to be made up of those most affected. It would be almost unheard of to give all the decision-making power and authority to representatives of the less privileged and most affected group. (Gonzalez 2022, 595-598).[9] This is a dramatic example of how a community lives out its collective identity when it really believes that it is the Body of Christ as described in Corinthians.

According the Pew Research Center, the majority of immigrants coming to the United States are Christians. We are one Body bonded by blood – the blood of Christ. While this does not imply a specific immigration policy, it calls for a certain orientation and commitment. We simply cannot treat immigrants as if their suffering does not matter to us. We cannot continue to promote and support policies that cause immense and unnecessary suffering.

We also must seriously recognize that these less privileged members of the Body are to be given special honor. In Hebrews 13:2, we read that anyone who receives our hospitality may be an angel. The word for angel in koine Greek does not only refer to celestial beings with wings. It simply means “messenger.” The connotations in this verse are that a stranger may be a divine messenger, sent to bring you a word and a blessing. The implications are that we must see migrants through the lens of actual and potential contributors, making visible and proclaiming their contributions.

Through our common relationship with the God who migrated to this world in Jesus, who feeds us himself at the holy table, and who sends us out to continue his work, we now have a sacred relationship with each other. How should we treat a migrant who shares this sacred relationship with us? What is our duty when that person is rejected and mistreated?

Some might say that our duty to advocate for respect and recognition for migrants does not mean that we forget that an undocumented immigrant has broken the law and that a penalty is appropriate. A grace-filled perspective also implies that we do not overemphasize the faults of immigrants over their contributions, but rather seek for a penalty in the case of a legal offense that is not cruel but rather appropriate to the crime.  Kristin Noemi, the current director of Homeland Security, said in a press conference concerning Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant accused (but not yet convicted) of transporting an undocumented individual across state lines, that she hopes “he would go to prison for the rest of his life for his crimes.” Dr. Juan Martinez, the former academic dean of the Centro Latino and Fuller provost, once asked the question:

“What is an appropriate punishment for someone who breaks into your home, feeds you dinner, cares for your children, cultivates your garden, paints your house and repairs your deck? Kicking them out of the country for life? Separating them from their citizen family members?”

To take seriously our common participation in the Body of Christ would require a radical re-examination of the attitudes and values of Christians whose uncritical support for the current administration has led them to look the other way when immigrants are unjustly vilified, attacked and punished.

Of course, immigrants are not all fellow believers. Is there another theological metaphor that can establish a collective identity between citizens and migrants?

One Family under God:

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name (Ephesians 3:14-15).

Family is a serious responsibility in Latina cultures, similar to the cultures in which the scriptures were written. If a sibling that I do not like or get along with is in need, I am still judged by whether or not I provide assistance. We are all created by one heavenly parent and there is no possibility of disowning our common family. In Genesis 1, we see that we are made in the image of our Father in heaven and called to participate in his work of caring for creation.  If anyone mistreats someone made in the image of God, they disrespect their Father whose image he bears.

In the book of Isaiah, in the midst of a list of exhortations to love mercy and do justice, we are called to care for our common kin,

“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:7)

When I read that verse, I think of a large extended family sitting down to dinner and being disturbed by a relative in need. The temptation is to call out, when the doorbell rings, “I am not home!” The passage in Isaiah, however, reminds us of a core belief in collective cultures. If my family is not well, I am not well. Verse 10b-13 promises that if you take care of your responsibilities to our common family, then you will be “like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

I remember being in Tijuana, Mexico, with a group of church folks who had arrived to take care of the desperate needs of those who had arrived with the caravans from Central America. A Tijuana taxi driver took a few of us to the camps. On the way, he began to rail at the asylum- seekers who had come in the caravans. He said that they were both lazy and taking Mexican jobs (sounding just like some North Americans). He said that the ultimate insult was that they did not like Mexican food but preferred pizza (a typically Mexican concern). When I then asked him what he thought of the Marasalvatrucha, the massive organized crime syndicate that was preying on their communities, he said, “They are terrible, horrible.” He then was silent for a moment and quietly added, “We do have to help them. After all, they are human beings.” Even in the midst of his outrage and territorial passions, he recognized his connection with the caravan members. After all, we are all human beings, created by the same divine Father of us all.

However, there are also streams of tradition in the scriptures that treat strangers differently, in reference to the degree of connection that exists. While we may all share a common Father, we experience different levels of family intimacy. There are different words in Hebrew for stranger that reflect the level to which that person participates in the people of God and to what extent he or she may represent a threat to the faith and well-being of the community. We see that Jesus also referred to a higher level of connection, not only with believers, but with anyone that does the will of God.

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:46-50).

Still, being a threat or even a non-participant in the people of God does not take away the fundamental family relationship. I was part of a panel on immigration in a conservative megachurch in Seattle. During the question-and-answer time, a man stood up in the back, very angry, and asked, “What about Muslims? They are our enemies. They are here to hurt and kill us.” Another distinguished member of the panel proceeded to explain why most Muslims are not our enemies. My response was different; I asked him what it meant to him to obey Jesus’ command to love our enemies. He did not have a ready answer but it caused him to reflect.

The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 provides us with a wonderful example of this core principle. The younger son, by any definition, has mistreated his family. He has wasted the portion of their common assets that was his inheritance and now he is back again to share in the rest of the inheritance. The elder brother is rightfully upset, and accurately considers his brother a potential enemy. He leaves the party celebrating his younger brother’s homecoming and his father comes outside to talk to him. He proceeds to lay out all the offenses that the younger brother has committed; in the process, he refers to him in speaking to their father as “this son of yours.” His father’s response does not deny or minimize the younger brother’s offenses. Instead, he simply describes him as “your brother.” All that he has done does not take away the essential relationship of family with all of its attendant connections and responsibilities.

The collective identity of family leads us to work for a society in which everyone matters, and in which everyone’s welfare contributes to the well-being of the whole.

Implications for Ministry:

Primarily immigrant churches cannot escape the crisis that impacts their members. They are living with deep grief from multiple losses, outrage at injustice, and panic at the thought of more to come. (The “Big Beautiful Budget Bill” recently passed by Congress provides billions of dollars for additional immigration enforcement and also increases costs and penalties for immigrants trying to obtain or maintain legal status.) Pastors describe young people who have not left their homes for over a month except for work and school in order to stay close to their undocumented parents. Families are running out of food. New regulations allow for ICE to scan emergency Medicaid files for the addresses of people without social security numbers, keeping families from taking care of serious health concerns. Children, youth, parents, whole congregations and pastors are exhibiting all the symptoms of trauma, which weakens their capacity for effective and faithful response.

Primarily resident and citizen churches fall into two camps; those who agree with the president’s animus toward immigrants and who are passively scorning or actively persecuting immigrants, and those who want to help. Those who want to help often do not know what to do.

Both immigrant church leaders and residents who want to help are frightened. The administration is targeting dissenters in a variety of ways and cautious institutions are changing core policies. The Assemblies of God have stopped recognizing the ordination of undocumented immigrant pastors. Organizations that help immigrants have received threatening letters about their tax status. Citizens have also been arrested for protesting kidnappings and face felony charges. ICE agents and imposters roam the streets dressed in black, with black masks and no badges, carrying rifles. There have been reports of assault and abuse. In Los Angeles, they have been accompanied by the Marines and the National Guard, in one incident in a park with helicopters and heavy-duty military equipment.

However, as has been true around the world and throughout history, many churches, standing in the tradition of the cities of refuge described in Numbers 35, and in the sacrificial love of Christ are doing their best to protect, support, inspire, encourage and mobilize.

In Numbers 35, six towns are given to the Levites to be cities of refuge. The cities of refuge are a place for a person who has committed manslaughter to flee so that they will not be killed by an avenger, who would normally have the right to take their life in exchange for the life of the victim. The principle underlying the Cities of Refuge is the right to a fair punishment.  An offender who kills accidentally should not suffer the same punishment as one who kills intentionally. The Levites, the tribe of priests, are those with the responsibility to offer this protection. In the centuries since Numbers 35 was written, this principle has been carried forward in multiple sanctuary movements – times when there has been a societal trend of unfair punishment and churches have stepped in to provide protection, elevating divine law above human law. Those offering sanctuary have often risked becoming a victim as well of the same unjust punishment (as in the Christians who sheltered escaping Jews during the Holocaust or escaping Africans under slavery). The Christians who have taken this risk have identified with the sacrificial love of Christ and have entered into danger willingly, offering a vibrant and compelling testimony in the process.

Actions that churches are taking at this time also represent a risk, although the extent of the risk is still unclear and may vary by geographic location. Wherever there is a willing acceptance of danger in the name of the love of Christ, the ensuing testimony is powerful, and may counteract the negative witness of churches who are compromising their values and beliefs to support a political party. At Centro Latino, we have been partnering with various national networks to offer regular webinars to immigrant pastors and leaders that provide both important information and an opportunity for exchanging best practices. The following practices come out of these conversations and other creative ideas that are being acted on around the country. 

Protection:

• Trustworthy Legal Assistance: Desperate people are vulnerable to scams, and a church taking the time and energy to identify lawyers with integrity is an important ministry.
• Patrols and Court Watch: ICE kidnapping can sometimes by stopped by a circle of faith leaders surrounding an asylum applicant after they leave the courtroom.
• Educate immigrant networks about strategies for staying as safe as possible. 

Support:

• Immigrants and family members frightened to leave their homes need basic assistance – food, clothing, rides to medical help, to work or to get children to school.
• Trauma-informed care – therapy for members and training for pastors to provide basic tools to reduce the negative impact of trauma are both valuable.
• Overnight children’s camps can get children out of the house without parents having to bring them to daily camp.
• Pastoral leaders can sometimes get into detention centers to visit, minister and provide information, even when lawyers cannot.
• Partnerships between immigrant and resident churches can increase the resources available to immigrants and deepen the commitment of residents and citizens.

Inspiration and Encouragement through Mobilization:

• Hope strengthens. Pastor-led public vigils, demonstrations, and actions encourage us all. Collaborative efforts across sectors makes winning more possible.
• Educating members about the immigration system and the Biblical bases for holistic mission and activism is desperately needed in order to build the base of active participants
• Latina evangelical Pentecostal churches have opportunities to reach people who would never hear the broader story. Vigils such as the Mothers and Godmothers of the Disappeared, which focuses on publically praying outside the court and detention facility for detainees, their families and law enforcement, offer a counter-narrative to burning cars and criminal photos.
• Legislative visits to build relationship can spark courage in legislative leaders who are inspired by the courage of faith leaders on the ground. Intentionally reaching out to key church leaders can help expand the movement through engaging their networks.
• International solidarity can sustain inspiration for the long haul.

Conclusion:

In our highly individualist society, we often think of identity in individual terms. However, the biblical perspective is that we are made for relationship and formed in relationship. Our collective identities influence our perspective and behavior. The immigration crisis in the U.S. is viewed very differently by those whose collective identity is immigrant or includes immigrants vs. a collective identity which sees immigrants as a threatening other.

The biblical metaphors of Body of Christ and Family of God give Christians a collective identity that automatically include immigrants as valuable members of the collective whole and call us to work for their well-being. At this moment in history, the ministry actions that flow from this perspective include acts of protection, support, inspiration, encouragement and mobilizing for advocacy. When we engage in these acts, we serve the Lord who told us that whatever we do to the stranger, we do to him (Matthew 25:25).

______________________________________

[1] Iyengar, Rishi. Aug. 31, 2016. “Ready Donald Trump’s Speech on Immigration” Time Magazine https://time.com/4475349/donald-trumps-speech-immigration-transcript/

[2] U.S. Congress (1964) United States Code: Immigration and Nationality 8 U.S.C.-1401 Suppl 2 1964

[3] Refugee Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-212, 94 Stat. 102 (to be codified in scattered sections of 8, 22 U.S.C.).

[4] Global Trends Report, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) 2024 https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2024

[5] (https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigration-abated.aspx)

[6] Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project, June 10^th, 2025, NY, NY https://asaptogether.org/en/detained-at-immigration-court/

[7] Bier, David J. June 20, 2025. “65 Percent of People Taken by ICE have no convictions; 93 Percent no violent Convictions.”  https://www.cato.org/blog/65-people-taken-ice-had-no-convictions-93-no-violent-convictions

[8] Jervis, Rick and Nick Penzenstradler. April 10, 2025, “Gay Venezuelan stylist sent to prison after a disgraced cop’s report. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2025/04/10/fired-milwaukee-police-officer-report-gay-stylist-salvadoran-prison/83005721007/

[9] Gonzalez, Justo L. 2022. Comentario al Evangelio de Lucas y los Hechos de los Apostoles. Barcelona, Espana: Editorial CLIE

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