The latest political posturing, where liberals are calling
for the dissolution of I.C.E., is so laughable as to be idiotic. For those of
my readers who have only a passing acquaintance with this necessary agency, let
me provide you with a short history.
Ever since the American Revolution, wise government leaders
have “provided for the common defense” (see the preamble to the Constitution of
the United States of America). This organized effort to support and protect the
unique experiment in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (see the
Declaration of Independence) has taken many forms: the formation of the War
Department, including the various military branches, beginning officially in
1789 (when the Constitution was ratified); the transition to the National
Military Establishment in 1947; the present-day Department of Defense.
The
much-maligned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) came about as a
direct result of the hideous attack on innocent Americans by Muslim terrorists
on September 11, 2001. Wise government leaders realized almost immediately that
the war on terrorism would require new strategies. No longer would the
protectors of our freedoms be able to identify the enemy through open battles, identifiable
uniforms, etc. It would mean “fighting fire with fire.”
In this day of mindless anti-conservative stances, the main
stream media has adopted a new “outrage”: abolish I.C.E. As this narrative
goes, all of the evils
experienced by illegal aliens are a result of I.C.E. activities. “Decent,
law-abiding citizens” [sic] have supposedly been seized, “ripped from their
families,” and both imprisoned and deported. Huh??? Really??? The
anti-conservative pundits start with an illogical stance: First, they
automatically assume that all people apprehended by I.C.E. are “decent” (yes, I
have actually read that word being used) – except that these rather naïve people
include MS-13 gang members, drug dealers, rapists, terrorists, and murderers in
this group. By no stretch of the imagination can any of these aliens be labeled “decent.”
Next, let us examine the idea of “law-abiding.” Hmmm…
According to the Bible, if one is guilty of breaking even one of God’s commandments, one is a law-breaker. Period.
(See James 2:10.) If a resident of the United States has broken a law – and does
nothing to rectify that situation – he or she is a law-breaker. Now, a citizen of the United States has certain
safeguards afforded him or her in order that justice be served.
Notice I said “citizen”
– and I trust that the legal requirements of citizenship are not lost on
whoever reads this essay. A person who crosses a border does not automatically become
a citizen of the country that he or she enters; this should be self-evident to
people who travel (with proper passports, etc.) outside the confines of our
borders. Therefore, it is nonsensical to claim that illegal aliens have “rights”
under our Constitution; it just doesn’t follow the rules of logic.
I have read some pretty lame appeals to “Biblical
hospitality” – both from the Old and the New Testaments. For instance, one
group has maintained that Leviticus 19: 33-34 means that every country should
support open borders:
"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.”
This instruction is also duplicated in Deuteronomy 10:19.
And, on the surface, the injunction to “love” this hypothetically friendly
alien seems so right. However,
the B.C. version of “love” and the 21st-century version of “love”
are miles apart. In Israel before Christ, aliens were self-supporting. No
stranger would ever enter a Jewish city or province and “demand” free housing,
food, and creature comforts. No stranger would ever be allowed to “demand” land,
or jobs, or Jewish status, when that
individual obviously was not entitled to any of those privileges.
Rather – get this! – a truly devoted follower of Yahweh would deliberately seek out the sojourner
in the marketplace or on the border of the city, and welcome him or her into
their home for the night or even a few days. (It was never meant to be a
permanent arrangement!) Where have we seen this concept displayed in those
calling for open borders, free entry at will for all comers, the dissolution of
I.C.E., and other amenities for illegal aliens? In Biblical times, the idea of
welcoming the traveler (alien, sojourner, etc.) required a serious commitment
and responsibility on the part of the native Jew – what say ye, anti-conservative,
anti-enforcement proponents?
Let us progress to the New Testament. Here, we have some
clear agreement that law and order required soldiers, guards, and even some
harsh enforcement. John the Baptist famously did not urge the soldiers who came to him for baptism to leave
their then-current job. He just instructed them to act honorably within the
duties of their commissions (Luke 3:14). Instead of lecturing the Roman
centurion who came to Jesus to petition for healing about his “nasty
occupation,” He praised him for his faith in His Lordship (Luke 7:1-10).
When Jesus was crucified, He publicly prayed to His Father
to forgive the Roman soldiers who had put Him on the cross, because they acted
in ignorance (Luke 23: 34). What’s more, Luke’s Gospel makes it clear that the
two men crucified alongside Jesus were criminals
– not innocent “victims” of
Roman oppression. Luke even includes the confession of the Good Thief, “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.
But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23: 41). My point in reminding my
readers of these instances is to reinforce the idea that at NO time did Jesus or any of His
followers ever assert that there was no need for enforcement agents within the
Roman Empire, because “God is love” or some other misleading interpretation of
Biblical truth.
My final point in summing up this essay is
this: If one wants to protect the chickens from the fox, do not remove the chicken coop! If
one wants to protect the true
citizens of the United States of America from law-breaking aliens, do not abolish I.C.E.!
