A Christian Perspective on Immigrant Integration

The focus of the immigration debate often neglects the vital question of immigrant integration. There are some steps towards social integration only government can take. These include revising public policies and laws and revamping government programs. In addition, government can promote successful integration by partnering with community‐based and faith‐based organizations. Churches should reach out to immigrants and help integrate them into their churches (and thus the larger society) because the Bible commands Christians to welcome the stranger; because immigrants are dramatically affecting the fabric of the church in the US; and because welcoming immigrants is a missional opportunity. Keywords: North AmericaChristianityImmigrationLawEducationCivil SocietyChildren & FamilyHistory Notes 1. This essay served as the basis of a presentation I made on the panel, "Immigration and US Society," September 22, 2010, Washington, DC. The panel was the first in a 3‐panel series on "Immigration Reform: Advancing Human Dignity & Responsibility." The series was hosted by Nyack College DC Campus, and was sponsored by the Institute for Public Service and Policy Development, the Institute for Global Engagement, the Center for Public Justice, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. 2. Figure from Grieco, Race and Hispanic Origin, 3. 3. Fix, Securing the Future, VII. 4. Definition from Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Immigrant_Integration_and_Health_Presentation.pdf (accessed November 10, 2010). 5. Definition from the Illinois Coalition on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, http://icirr.org/en/naeo (accessed November 10, 2010). 6. One in eight US residents is foreign born, while one in seven workers and one in five low‐wage workers is an immigrant. See Fix, Securing the Future, VII. 7. Case management normally entails picking‐up refugees at the airport, orientation of US laws and customs, assistance with transportation and obtaining of legal documents, job assistance, and other services. 8. As of December 2010, according to the Department of State Visa Bulletin, the wait time for the first preference category (spouses and minor children) for an Indian citizen is over four years. Those from undersubscribed countries have a wait time for the fourth preference category (brother or sister) that is currently just under nine years. Information available from the US Department of State Visa Bulletin for December 2010, http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5197.html (accessed November 16, 2010). 9. Tucker, The ESL Logjam, 1. 10. Alba, "Bilingualism Persists." 11. Myers and Pitkin, Assimilation Today. 12. Passel et al., Marrying Out. 13. Jonathan Robert Nelson, remarks for the American Bar Association's, "Fortress America: The State and Future of U.S. Immigration Law and Policy," held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, January 26, 2006. 14. All scripture verses herein are from the New International Version. 15. Johnson, USA Evangelicals/Evangelicals in a Global Context." 16. Kennedy, A Nation of Immigrants, 50

Epistemology · Faith · Government (linguistics) · Immigration · New immigrants · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Public policy · Public relations · Social integration · Sociology · Law · Public Administration · Religion, Society, and Development

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