Birmingham churches welcome illegal immigrants while completely missing the point

A group of churchgoers in Birmingham has declared that it is ready to take in illegal immigrants in response to the raids that have taken place in Mississippi at food processing facilities.

Reverend Paul Ecknes-Tucker, pastor of Pilgrim United Church of Christ, said raids were a “pivotal moment” for the group and they are all about “helping with kids, giving them a safe place to be.”

Portion of a statement released by “Concerned Clergy, Faith Leaders, and Faith Communities of Birmingham” as follows:

• Our houses of worship will be sanctuary for those seeking refuge. We will not allow immigration authorities to enter into our houses of worship without a warrant signed by a judge.
• Those of us who cannot safely offer sanctuary will actively and intentionally support those who do open the doors of their houses of worship to provide sanctuary to those who are being targeted by immigration enforcement operations.
• Following the lead of the communities who are most impacted, we will take action and speak out when ICE raids target our neighbors.
• We will challenge xenophobic, racist, and white nationalist rhetoric both inside and outside our places of worship. We will seek to create intentionally inclusive and accepting worship spaces that protect the rights and dignity of all human beings.

Delightful.

But stuff like this completely misses the point, and these entities join the long list of American institutions that once again place the needs of illegal immigrants over the needs of American citizens.

Americans are tired of this.

First, these illegal immigrants did more than just enter our country illegally. They also committed identity theft and fraud.

Second, parents were released if they were the main caretaker of their children.

That’s right. If you are in this country illegally and have children with you, we will let you out of confinement and let you continue breaking our laws.

All this does is incentivize people entering our country and using children as their “get out of jail free” card.

Third, there are people who want these jobs.

The jobs that were taken by these lawbreakers could and should be filled by Americans. There was a job fair that proves Americans showed up to fill those jobs.

Lastly, with this news and the news of the Trump administration using a President Bill Clinton-era law to potentially deny green cards to immigrants in the country, we are finally putting American citizens and taxpayers first.

These are good things that should be applauded for helping Americans better their lives. It would be nice to see our leaders be as concerned for Americans as they are for illegal immigrants.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 a.m.weekdays on WVNN.