ERICK-WOODS ERICKSON
FEB 11
Forgive me for emailing everyone. I don’t have a way to just email members of my denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, but I know many of you are members.
It is unquestionably a conservative denomination. But I have a real problem with the advice the Mission to North America is giving out to illegal aliens wishing to avoid deportation. I find the highlighted portion deeply problematic.
I do not think any Christian denomination should encourage those who break the law to hide the evidence of their crimes in order to avoid the consequences.
I certainly am on record saying we need to be compassionate to every immigrant, including illegal immigrants. Lord knows I worked as a lawyer representing more than one illegal alien who had been wronged by American citizens taking advantage of their illegal status.
But as someone who takes the law and our obligations under it seriously, I find it bad that a missional organization would advise people to avoid showing documents with “country of birth or citizenship” to escape the consequences of coming into the United States illegally.
This is terrible advice, and as a denomination member, I wish to register my dissent forcefully. In fact, I dare say if the person takes the advice and willfully hides their documentation to avoid revealing it, it could put them in an even worse situation.