WORLD - Undocumented Immigrants

Arno's Commentary

Based on various sources, there are about 100 million people who have been forced from their homes because of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, etc. When reading right-wing, left-wing, or mainstream reporting about immigrants, it’s mostly anti-immigrant—at least to a certain degree. 

According to the OECD’s data on foreign-born population, the country with the highest percentage is Luxembourg with 47.3%, followed by Australia with 29.9%, and Switzerland with 29.7%. The USA is way down on the list at 13.6% foreign-born residents.

Regarding illegal immigrants, CT.GOV published “5 Myths About Undocumented Immigrants.” Here an excerpt:

All immigrants (legal and undocumented) pay sales, property, and consumption taxes; many undocumented immigrants also pay income taxes, even though they can’t benefit from most federal and state local assistance programs. Contrary to popular belief, undocumented workers are not (and have never been) eligible to claim social security benefits. In fact, most undocumented workers will use a false social security number to prove work authorization, therefore paying money into a benefit system that they may never be eligible to use. According to the Social Security Administration, undocumented immigrants account for a “major portion” of the billions of dollars paid into the Social Security system … Immigrants’ tax payments support both local and state services in addition to the federal government. One study shows that immigrants, regardless of status, will pay on average $80,000 per capita more in taxes than they use in government services over their lifetime.
-portal.ct.gov, 4 April 2010

It stands to reason that working with a fake Social Security number still requires one to pay into the system, but he or she will not receive due benefits.

For believers, the Bible is our guide: “for God so loved the world”—that is, every single person on planet earth. 

Many of us recall that 50, 60, or 70 years ago, it would be difficult to find a Spanish-language church. Religious News Service reports that 50% of people in large metropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 or more, are Hispanic. And, according to the National Congregational Study Survey, there are an estimated 380,000 Spanish-speaking churches in the USA. 

Here we see again, the Lord knows best; He is building His Church. We continue to pray that in the not-too-distant future, the fullness of the Gentiles will come in. Then He will rapture His blood-bought ones into His presence. “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).