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Jun 26, 2014 | C. Andrew Doyle

Bishop Doyle: Border Crisis is a Test of Texans' Faith

(Texas Tribune) The thousands of unaccompanied children entering the U.S. are straining Texas’ resources and testing our state’s motto, friendship. What will history say about the humanitarian crisis on the Texas border?

 

The failure causing the influx of migrants now filling overcrowded facilities in Texas is not one of immigration policy but a humanitarian crisis caused by economic woes and growing violence in these children’s home countries. Voices of fear and desperation on all sides are dehumanizing the crisis. Texas’ future is tied to how we greet our new friends and help them become a part of our story.

 

Today, over 26 ethnic groups in Texas trace their ancestry to various parts of the world. Because of our shared experiences, our diverse faith traditions teach us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion, regardless of their place of birth. My Christian faith teaches me that how we treat the stranger and those in need is a core religious value, and that to welcome the stranger is to welcome a child of God. 

 

The Hebrew Bible tells us, "The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:33-34). In the New Testament, Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger, for "what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me" (Matthew 25:40). The Quran tells us that we should "do good to … those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer that you meet" (4:36). The Hindu Taittiriya Upanishad tells us "the guest is a representative of God" (1.11.2).

 

Our broken immigration system is not the result of any one party’s policy but a national failure for which even the voters are answerable...Continue reading at the Texas Tribune website.