Policy / Support Immigration Enforcement and the Rule of Law

Support Immigration Enforcement and the Rule of Law

Southern Baptists are committed both to Christian compassion and respect for the rule of law; these twin convictions are not irreconcilable. We advocate for fair and appropriate solutions for the border crisis because it accords with the core biblical principles of justice and mercy. For too long, our national leaders neglected to address the crisis at the southern border, leading to exacerbated national divisions on how to resolve the issue. At the 2023 SBC annual meeting, Southern Baptists called on lawmakers to “provide clear guidance for immigrants and asylum seekers,” “maintain robust avenues for valid asylum claimants seeking refuge,” and “prioritize measures that secure our borders and to provide adequate resources to border patrol and those working in our immigration system.”

It is with this guidance in mind that the ERLC will continue to urge Congress to pass needed immigration reforms that uphold our ideals of order, the rule of law, and compassion. Under the Trump administration, we continue to see record low border crossings, an accomplishment of a major Southern Baptist priority, ensuring people enter into the country through legal pathways. The federal government bears a God-given responsibility to ensure the security of our nation. Border security is a critical component to reforming our immigration system to protect our nation from those that would do us harm.

Further, the Bible is unequivocally clear in its command for Christians to care for the persecuted and vulnerable as those made in God’s image. Throughout Scripture, God calls his people to care for the immigrant and the refugee as those who bear the image of God (Matt. 25:35-40; James 1:27). Southern Baptists have reaffirmed this value of all image bearers among us through numerous resolutions declaring “the value and dignity of immigrants, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, culture, national origin, or legal status.”

As our nation grapples with the consequences of ignoring the immigration crisis for decades, the ERLC will continue to encourage our leaders to promote the rule of law, provide order, and, in accordance with the Scripture and our confession of faith, treat everyone with the dignity and respect that is due to those made in God’s image.

SBC Actions

Southern Baptist spoke to immigration and refugees at the 2023 annual meeting through the resolution “On Wisely Engaging Immigration,” the 2018 annual meeting through the resolution “On Immigration,” and the 2011 annual meeting through the resolution “On Immigration and The Gospel,” and the 2006 annual meeting through the resolution “On the Crisis of Illegal Immigration.”