Selling Sanctuary

The murder of Georgia nursing student, Laken Riley, has rattled the nation. The 22 year-old was jogging on the grounds of the University of Georgia when she was pulled aside and bashed to death. The man charged with her murder is an illegal alien (or to be nuanced, someone-who-sneaked-across-the-border-and-is-technically-waiting-for-a-court-date-to-find-out-whether-he-can-stay). Certain commentators tried to take some heat out of the ensuing discourse by pointing to research which says that immigrants (both illegal and regular) commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. But that is by-the-by for most people – would Riley still be alive if law enforcement and the government had done their job?

The alleged killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, is a citizen of Venezuela and crossed illegally into America in September 2022. He found work as an Uber driver in New York before being arrested for endangering a “person under 17.” Ibarra was released by the NYPD before he could be detained and questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He then moved to Athens, Georgia.

Corporate media coverage of Riley’s killing felt like an exercise in missing the point (although, that probably is the point!) with outlets insisting they were above politicizing the death of a promising young lady for grubby clickbait. The Associated Press focused on the dangers of running on your own as a woman. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “has covered Riley’s murder in a mostly fair manner” says Red State, but made sure that everyone knew that “Venezuelans in Georgia worry about backlash” against them. Democrats defended their open border stance, saying “any one instance shouldn't shape our overall immigration policy.” But that’s just it: this is not the first incident of Americans being harmed by people who do not care to follow the rules, nor is it an isolated one.

Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, condemned President Biden’s lax immigration policies for Riley’s death and his refusal to enforce the southern border. But Athens’ Mayor, Kelly Girtz, said the murder was “not connected” to illegal immigration, instead blaming Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric when he suggested that some people who jump the queue into the US might actually be nasty characters. Well, about that…

A few years ago, the right-wing social mediasphere came under fire for suggesting that Venezuela was emptying out its prisons and encouraging violent criminals to head for the American border. Then-President Donald Trump even went so far as to say that he would withhold aid to countries found to be sending their criminals to the States. The fact-checkers said there was “no evidence” that such a thing was happening. However, Venezuela does seem to be enjoying a dramatic drop in violent crime and murder. So, good for them. Whether violent or not, Venezuela clearly doesn’t want any of its deported citizens back, recently refusing to accept flights of illegals returning from America. What if Mexico also decides to not cooperate with the “GOP’s favorite border policy”?

I’m hardly an immigration expert, but it’s evident that neither Blue nor Red have much appetite to actually solve the border issues in this election year. The GOP would not want President Biden to be credited with fixing it and Democrats would not like to deport 7+ million potential voters and workers. Leftists, steeped in their identity politics will refuse to see the problems and all sides seem happy to use fear as an electoral tool, whether it be fear of actual violent criminals or just the thought of being branded as a bigot.

Sadly, it is likely to keep happening until something changes. One need only look to Sweden, Poland or Britain to see how illegal immigration is connected to violent crime. Indeed, those nations are beginning to understand that high-speed mass immigration changes societies in profound ways. If I understand it, the process to enter the country properly is arduous (which it should be since the United States should feel no obligation to let everyone in) but the incentives to jump the fence are far too enticing. Kind of If you don’t build it, they will come..

The impact of illegal immigration is becoming harder to ignore and recent polling suggests it is the top issue on the minds of many voters, so maybe the comparison (or vanity) of our politicians will compel them to step up and do the hard things. However, we can be working in whatever capacity is available to us both to love the strangers and aliens that Jesus sends into our lives. We should be prepared to share the gospel with the mission field that is forcing itself into our backyards. But we can also call out the injustice and cruelty inherent in our immigration politics, for everyone’s sakes. Jesus Christ knows what we need and he will give wisdom and strength to all who ask.