What Does the Bible Say About Illegal Immigration? My Friendly Response to a Well-known Pentecostal Pastor
The topic of immigration is boiling over these days. It’s complex and emotional, especially when it affects our communities and families.
Recently, a well-known Puerto Rican Pentecostal pastor named Omar Lugo presented a Facebook video and a written post on this issue, citing various Bible verses that discuss how we should treat foreigners. His approach seemed to suggest that human laws regarding immigration shouldn’t matter because divine laws are above them (without explaining how they directly contradict God’s law).
While I share his concern for showing compassion, I believe his argument stems from biblical silence and fails to demonstrate that current immigration laws violate God’s law.
The Argument from Silence in Biblical Interpretation
Pastor Omar used passages like Leviticus 19:33-34, Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Zechariah 7:10, Matthew 25:35, Hebrews 13:2, and Ephesians 2:19 to highlight that we should love the foreigner. He did not, however, address whether these texts assume the foreigners were legal or not.
This is important because Israel’s laws in the Old Testament regulated who could stay in the land (Exodus 12:48-49). In that context, the term “foreigners” (gerim) referred to those who lived legally among the Israelites and were subject to the same laws. Otherwise, they could not remain and had to be “cut off” from the land. Therefore, assuming these passages apply to all types of immigration—legal or illegal—is an argument from silence. It relies on what the text does not explicitly say rather than what it does. This reasoning cannot be used to conclude that human immigration laws always contradict God’s will.
Pastor Omar also indicated that modern immigration laws are not found in the Bible. Again, this is an argument from silence and anachronistic.
Romans 13: Obey the Government. . . . Always?
In his video, the pastor stated that divine laws are above human laws and used examples, if I recall correctly, like same-sex marriage or prostitution, which are legal in some places but not supported by the church. I completely agree with this statement; our ultimate loyalty is to God, not human laws. He did not, however, explain how immigration laws violate divine law, despite being asked.
Romans 13:1-5 reminds us that human authorities have been established by God, and unless a law directly contradicts God’s will, Christians are to obey it.
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
According to Title 8, Chapter 12, code 1325 of the United States Code (if I remember correctly), it is a crime to enter the country illegally. Therefore, those who cross illegally are committing a crime, as stipulated by the law.
The pastor also mentioned that churches are sanctuaries where illegal immigrants could enter, and the police could not remove them since churches were considered “sensitive locations.”
They were. An important point is that this is not a law being violated by the police but rather an internal policy of ICE. A policy serves as a guideline, not as a law (after I pointed this out, he walked it back).
Roman Citizenship and Israelite Citizenship
A historical example illustrates the importance of legality and order. During Paul’s time, the Roman Empire had strict laws on how non-Romans could obtain citizenship. Not everyone could enter the empire, ignore its rules, and enjoy the rights of citizens. There were three main ways a person could acquire Roman citizenship:
1. By birth in a Roman family or Roman province: Citizenship was inherited if both parents were citizens or, in some cases, if the father was a citizen. It was also granted by being born in a Roman province, as was Paul’s case.
2. By purchasing citizenship: Some could obtain it by paying a significant sum, as mentioned by the commander in Acts 22:28: “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.”
3. By merit or special grant: Those who served the empire (such as non-Roman soldiers in the military) or performed exceptional acts could be rewarded with citizenship.
These restrictions show that even in a powerful culture like Rome, there was no indiscriminate access to the benefits of citizenship. The system ensured that people recognized and respected governmental authority.
Necessity, Compassion and Justice: The Principle of Proverbs 6:30-31
The Bible acknowledges that necessity can lead people to break the law. Proverbs 6:30-31 says: “excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving. 31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house” (New Living Translation).
This principle applies to illegal immigration. We can understand and empathize with those who, out of desperation, cross a border without documents. Many are good neighbors, hard workers, and productive members of society. This does not, however, eliminate the legal consequences or the fact that the initial act was a crime. Compassion must not override the principle of justice. The end does not justify the means. Blessings should not obtain through illegal or immoral methods.
How Should the Church Respond?
As a church, we have a responsibility to balance grace and truth:
1. Show compassion: Help immigrants, regardless of their status, with immediate needs, spiritual, and emotional support. Knowing they are here illegally does not give us the right to mistreat them. Neither is the church a bunch of ICE officials, authorized to make arrests. We should, instead, encourage them to make things right with the law.
2. Be realistic: Acknowledge that disobedience to laws has consequences. Promoting more humane and dignified solutions does not mean ignoring sin or illegality.
3. Advocate for justice: As citizens, we must work for immigration systems that are fair and reflect both human dignity and the need for social order without undermining the safety and well-being of naturalized citizens.
In conclusion, we cannot allow love for our neighbor to become an excuse to ignore justice or legality. The Bible calls us to be compassionate, but it also calls us to obey the laws and promote a balance between the two. To combine compassion with realism, grace with truth. This is a difficult topic, but as Christians, we are called to be a light in the midst of this complexity. The following were 4 common objections I receive from other people after my response to pastor Omar that I think will be of benefits.
Answering Common Objections
The “Hard Working Immigrant” Objection
“But they are hardworking, decent people who do the jobs Americans don’t want to do: planting and harvesting our food, building our homes, cleaning our streets and yards, and caring for our children and elderly.”
This argument sounds noble, but in reality, it is the same one used by 19th-century slaveholders when opposing abolition: “If we free the slaves, who will pick our cotton?” This is not an argument for justice but one of convenience.
Taking advantage of the fear and desperation of people fleeing extreme poverty and persecution to pay them poverty wages—far below the legal minimum—is not compassion. It is exploitation. And justifying it by saying, “They still earn more than they would in their home country,” does not make it any less immoral. This practice, far from being altruistic, is pure greed disguised as pragmatism.
Many business owners prefer cheap labor with no legal protections because it allows them to save thousands, if not millions, of dollars. But when those same workers are deported and their businesses collapse due to labor shortages, breached contracts, and lawsuits over unfinished work, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
And yes, the economy might take a temporary hit.
Prices may rise, and our comfort may be affected. But an economy built on the exploitation of the most vulnerable is neither sustainable nor morally acceptable. We cannot continue justifying illegal immigration under the pretext that “we need them” when, in reality, we have created a system that profits from their suffering.
The “You’re a Privilege” Objection
“You speak from a place of privilege. You don’t care because it doesn’t affect you directly. But if you were one of them, your tune would be different. What wouldn’t you do for your children, for your family?”
Yes, I speak from privilege. God gave me the privilege of being born on American soil, with the rights and opportunities that come with it. But that does not invalidate my argument.
Saying that my opinion holds no weight because of where I was born is like when an atheist says, “You’re only a Christian because you were born into a Christian family and in a country with Christian roots. If you had been born in Saudi Arabia, you would be Muslim.” But the truth of a belief does not depend on how I acquired it.
The veracity of Christianity does not change just because I was born in a Christian nation, just as the validity of my opinion on immigration does not depend on my citizenship. An argument must be evaluated based on its truth, not on the person presenting it.
“What wouldn’t you do for your children?”, they might ask. But I wouldn’t break just laws. Because when a law is just and I choose to violate it to obtain benefits and privileges, I am not acting in faith but in fear and desperation. I am not trusting that God will provide for my family; I am relying on my own means, even if they are unlawful.
Proverbs 6:30-31 tells us that while we may understand a thief’s hunger, stealing still has consequences. And Romans 13 is clear: opposing just earthly laws is opposing God. Love for our children does not give us a license to do what is wrong. God does not need us to break His principles in order to bless us.
The “But These are Your Compatriots” Objection
“I seriously don’t understand why you have such a big fight against them. We’re supposed to be Latinos, compatriots. We, immigrants (legal ones), should be more empathetic and look for solutions that benefit all of us. Many of these people have been here for years.”
My fight is not against people but against a system that incentivizes human suffering and illegality under emotional pretexts. Promoting, encouraging, or justifying illegal immigration is not an act of empathy but complicity in a cycle of exploitation and violence.
Most people who cross illegally do not do so alone. They do it through coyotes—members of criminal cartels who see immigrants as merchandise. These traffickers not only scam them by charging exorbitant fees (which migrants often pay back through forced labor or sexual exploitation), but they also rape, mutilate, and, in many cases, murder them.
The testimonies are abundant:
• Systematic sexual violence: A 2017 Doctors Without Borders report revealed that 1 in 3 women who cross the border illegally experience sexual violence. Many even take contraceptives before the journey because they assume they will be raped.
• Kidnappings and murders: A 2021 Human Rights First report found that over 6,000 migrants were kidnapped, raped, or murdered at the border between 2020 and 2021 while waiting to cross or after they had crossed.
• Human trafficking and modern slavery: The U.S. State Department estimates that thousands of illegal immigrants end up in human trafficking networks, particularly children and teenagers, who are sold into labor and sex exploitation rings.
When the border is open or permissive, these crimes increase. Allowing illegal immigration is not an act of kindness. It is fueling the cartel and perpetuating the suffering of the most vulnerable. If you truly care about immigrants, you will do as I do: work to discourage illegal entry to minimize these horrors. Compassion is not demonstrated by encouraging danger but by promoting legal and safe pathways for migration.
If you truly care about immigrants, you will do as I do: work to discourage illegal entry to minimize these horrors. Compassion is not demonstrated by encouraging danger but by promoting legal and safe pathways for migration.
The “Immigration Law is Racist” Objection
“But this immigration law is immoral because it’s nearly impossible to become a citizen due to the cost and requirements. It’s even racist and xenophobic! The Bible urges us to treat foreigners well. Refusing to help them in their desperate need goes against the biblical principle of hospitality.”
I understand the concern for the foreigner and agree that every person should be treated with dignity. The Bible calls us to hospitality (Leviticus 19:33-34), but hospitality is not the same as anarchy. A home opens its doors with order, not allowing just anyone to enter without discretion, destabilizing the household itself.
Regulating immigration is not an act of racism or xenophobia; it is an act of protection and prudence towards the citizens. Every nation has the right to determine who enters its territory, just as a family has the right to decide who enters its home.
1 Timothy 5:8 is clear: “If anyone does not provide for his own, especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The principle is the same if we extrapolate it to the nation. A government that neglects its own people to indiscriminately care for foreigners is not acting justly. Being compassionate does not mean being irresponsible.
Just as a father cannot sacrifice his family’s well-being to give everything to strangers, a country cannot allow uncontrolled immigration that overwhelms its social and economic resources.
Immigration laws do not exist to exclude certain groups based on race or nationality. They exist to ensure that those who enter contribute to the nation’s well-being. Even in the Bible, foreigners could live in Israel, but under certain conditions:
• They had to integrate into the country’s culture and laws. (Exodus 12:49 – “The same law shall apply to the native and to the foreigner residing among you.”)
• They had to work and contribute to the common good. (2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”)
• There was no promotion of disorderly entry. (Nehemiah 13:3 shows that the Jews regulated who could live among them to protect their identity and well-being.)
An orderly immigration system allows a nation to flourish. A chaotic system harms citizens, overwhelms public resources, and enriches human traffickers.
When the Bible speaks of welcoming the foreigner, it does so within the context of order and justice. God commanded Israel to protect foreigners, but not at the expense of the nation’s well-being.
If we truly want to help immigrants, the solution is not to open borders indiscriminately but to advocate for fair and sustainable processes. Allowing illegal entry only perpetuates exploitation, abuse, and the overburdening of a system that, when it collapses, can help neither citizens nor foreigners.
Recommended Resources:
Correct not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism by Frank Turek (Book, MP4, )
Stealing From God by Dr. Frank Turek (Book, 10-Part DVD Set, STUDENT Study Guide, TEACHER Study Guide)
Legislating Morality: Is it Wise? Is it Legal? Is it Possible? by Frank Turek (Book, DVD, Mp3, Mp4, PowerPoint download, PowerPoint CD)
How to Interpret Your Bible by Dr. Frank Turek DVD Complete Series, INSTRUCTOR Study Guide, and STUDENT Study Guide
Miguel Rodriguez is the founder of Smart Faith, a platform dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith with clarity and confidence. After experiencing a miraculous healing at 14, he developed a passion for knowing God through study and teaching. He now serves as the Director of Christian Education and a Bible teacher at his local church while also working as a freelance email marketer. Living in Orlando, Florida, with his wife and two daughters, Miguel seeks to equip believers with practical and intellectual tools to strengthen their faith. Through Smart Faith, he provides apologetics and self-improvement content to help Christians live with wisdom and integrity.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/4q958kj
