One in Twelve American Christians Face Deportation Risks: The Compassionate Response

A recent report titled "One Part of the Body: The Potential Impact of Deportations on American Christian Families" reveals that approximately one in twelve Christians in the United States are either directly at risk of deportation or live with a family member who is. 

The report estimates that over 10 million Christian immigrants in the U.S. are vulnerable to deportation. This figure includes individuals without legal status and those with temporary protections that could be rescinded, such as recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and humanitarian parole. About 80% of all individuals at risk of deportation are Christians.

In addition to those directly at risk, another 7 million U.S.-citizen Christians reside in households with someone who could face deportation. Many of these are children, at risk of losing one or both of their parents to deportation. These innocent kids, often too young to know what’s going on, are at risk of having their families torn apart by new immigration policies. 

As the Apostle Paul taught us, the church is one body: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). As compassionate Christians, we must recognize that the suffering of immigrant members affects the entire faith community. And with new rules that even allow ICE agents to enter and deport people from churches, defending the sanctity of our churches, both as a space for worship and a broader community that protects its own, is now more important than ever.

The report doesn’t advocate for ending all deportations: violent criminals obviously ought to pay for their crimes. But compassion, justice, and the sanctity of families must be considered. For the many good, law-abiding immigrants who contribute to their communities, there should be more pathways to citizenship. These are people who stand in the pews with us, who send their children to school with ours, who came to our nation looking for a better life just like our ancestors before us. As America grapples with immigration policies, we must not let ourselves forget the human and spiritual dimensions of deportation. As compassionate conservative Christians, let us lead first with empathy and understanding.