Christianity and the Law of Migration

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the interconnections between Christianity, forced migrants, and the diverse legal systems to which they are subject. Christianity views migrants as the children of a loving God, equal in dignity and rights to all other persons. The Torah stresses the imperative to love and act justly to the stranger based on love of God and the Jewish people’s experience of wandering, exile, dispersion, exodus, and return. The New Testament describes the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem, their flight to Egypt, the itinerant ministry of Jesus, his crucifixion under color of law, and his identification with the “least,” including the stranger. To forced migrants, the law represents both a source of hope and an instrument of exclusion. To some, forced displacement leads to deepened reliance on their faith traditions, communities, and migrant forbearers. In its long history, Christianity has used natural law, subjective human rights, and international law to mediate its values to the broader community. Its teaching has influenced and lent support to legal systems that extend protection, membership, and hospitality to forced migrants. Conversely, it is strongly critical of state practices that turn away desperate persons and erect barriers to their integration and belonging. It also has long experienced the negative effects of ideologies such as nativism and exclusionary nationalism that privilege certain groups but seek to exclude other beneficiaries of God’s love and grace.