You can’t follow Jesus and hate immigrants.

Of course, this does NOT settle every question of immigration policy!

But, if you’re a follower of Jesus, consider your overall posture toward immigrants. If you call yourself a Christian, I want you to think about this seriously.

What comes into your head and your heart when you think of immigrants and refugees? Fear? Anger? Disgust?

What if the immigrants are in your country legally? What if they’re your brothers and sisters in Christ? Does that make any difference in what you think and feel about them? Or are they still primarily “illegals” who are “ruining this country”?

If you think that a given immigration policy or system is a mess and that X, Y, or Z should be done about it, what are your motivations? Are you concerned about the welfare of the immigrants themselves, many of whom are quite poor and powerless? Or are you acting out of fear and self-interest?

Some may object, saying that while Christians are called to love immigrants, we still need to protect our borders and uphold laws. And it’s true that immigration policy is complex, and nations have a responsibility to maintain order and security.

However, the question here isn’t about the specifics of policy but about the posture of our hearts. As followers of Jesus, our first responsibility is to love others—including immigrants—as those made in God’s image. Upholding laws and protecting our country should never justify fear, hatred, or dehumanization.

Others may argue that showing hospitality to immigrants and refugees could lead to an unsustainable burden on our resources or change our cultural identity. While practical concerns about resources are valid, Scripture repeatedly calls us to care for the vulnerable, trusting that God will provide.

Moreover, the kingdom of God is not confined by national or cultural boundaries! As citizens of this kingdom, our identity should first and foremost be shaped by our faith, not by our nationality.

The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about immigrants, sojourners, and refugees. In fact, you can even read the entire storyline of Scripture through these lenses. Here’s the tiniest of tastes:

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
(Leviticus 19:33–34, NIV)

Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.
(Deuteronomy 27:19, NIV)

I was a stranger and you invited me in…
(Matthew 25:35, NIV)

For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
(Hebrews 13:14, NIV)

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
(Hebrews 13:2, NIV)

As M. Daniel Carroll Rodas explains in an article on “Aliens, Immigration, and Refugees”:

  • Both the Old and New Testaments offer rich teachings on migration, emphasizing that refugees and immigrants are made in the image of God.
  • Many biblical figures, like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus himself, were displaced persons.
  • Old Testament laws protected the vulnerable, including immigrants.
  • Jesus’s teachings further challenge believers to see the outsider as someone who can lead them to a deeper faith.
  • The New Testament epistles also call the church to care for those on the margins, reminding Christians that they, too, are “strangers” in the world.
  • Biblical teachings on migration should shape how Christians act toward immigrants today, promoting “human flourishing and the common good” through both personal behavior and societal involvement

(Source: M. Daniel Carroll R., “Aliens, Immigration, and Refugees,” Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011, 58).

You can’t follow Jesus and hate immigrants.

Next time you’re reading the Bible, keep an eye out for terms like “alien,” “stranger,” “resident alien,” “foreigner,” and “sojourner.”

The next time you think or speak about immigrants, ask yourself: Do your words reflect the heart of Jesus or the harsh rhetoric of political discourse?

Consider how the kingdom of God cuts right across ethnic and national boundaries, reshaping our loyalties to all nations, tribes, etc.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to reflect His love and compassion in every area of our lives, including how we treat immigrants and refugees.

Take time to examine your heart and attitudes, and ask how you can embody Christ’s radical hospitality.

Engage with Scripture, seek out opportunities to welcome the stranger, and challenge rhetoric that dehumanizes or divides.

Let’s commit to being voices of love, grace, and justice in a world that so desperately needs them.

Resources on Scripture and Immigration

The following bibliography is from M. Daniel Carroll R., “Aliens, Immigration, and Refugees,” Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 58.

  • Brettell, C., and J. Hollifield. Migration Theory: Talking across Disciplines. 2nd ed. Routledge, 2008.
  • Carroll R., M. D. Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. Baker Academic, 2008.
  • Groody, D., ed. A Promised Land, a Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration. University of Notre Dame Press, 2008.
  • Hanciles, J. Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration and the Transformation of the West. Orbis, 2008.
  • Hoffmeier, J. The Immigration Crisis: Immigrants, Aliens, and the Bible. Crossway, 2009.
  • Miller, P. “Israel as Host to Strangers.” In Israelite Religion and Biblical Theology: Collected Essays, 548–71. JSOTSup 267. Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
  • O’Neil, W., and W. Spohn. “Rights of Passage: The Ethics of Immigration and Refugee Policy.” TS 59 (1998): 84–106.
  • Pohl, C. “Responding to Strangers: Insights from the Christian Tradition.” SCE 19 (2006): 81–101.
  • Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. The Love of Christ towards Migrants: Instruction. Catholic Truth Society, 2004.
  • Ramírez Kidd, J. Alterity and Identity in Israel: The “Ger” in the Old Testament. BZAW 283. De Gruyter, 1999.
  • Rivera, L. “Toward a Diaspora Hermeneutics (Hispanic North America).” In Character Ethics and the Old Testament: Moral Dimensions of Scripture, edited by M. D. Carroll R. and J. Lapsley, 169–89. Westminster John Knox, 2007.
  • Smith-Christopher, D. A Biblical Theology of Exile. OBT. Fortress, 2002.
  • Soerens, M., and J. Hwang. Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion, and Truth in the Immigration Debate. InterVarsity, 2009.
  • Waters, M., and R. Ueda, eds. The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration since 1965. Harvard University Press, 2007.