For the record, not every conservative is hostile towards undocumented immigrants. When John McCain ran for president in 2008, he advocated a pathway to citizenship for these people. Lindsay Graham, Jeb Bush, and other compassionate conservatives likewise support an amnesty. In fact, I’m a conservative who also feels sympathy towards the undocumented community and wants to see the government help make the good law-abiding ones become citizens.
However, Donald Trump basically became president by scapegoating people in this country illegally. When he said he would build a wall along the US-Mexico border, his support went through the roof and secured his nomination. The fact that he accumulated so much support from Republican-voters testifies to the hostility that so many conservatives feel towards undocumented immigrants. To me, this is a very sad thing.
The Bible says this in Leviticus 19:34: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Obviously those foreigners residing in ancient Israel didn’t have visas or passports. They were undocumented immigrants for all practical purposes. And God is telling his chosen people to treat them as native-born residents. This means God wants us to treat undocumented immigrants in the US with compassion.
Of course I’m aware of drug traffickers, sex traffickers, and violent criminals who come here illegally. By all means deport them. But what about the ones who study hard, abide by all the laws and don’t commit crime, and live like normal people? They’ve been here much of their lives and should be given a pathway to citizenship.
As a Republican and compassionate conservative, I don’t think I’ll ever understand what motivates so many other conservatives to feel so much hostility towards people just because they’re different. Yes, they came into this country illegally, but hasn’t everyone done something illegal in their life at one time? Give them a chance.
Our GOP is besmirched with xenophobia and needs to clean up.