Reverend Joel Tooley, a consultant with the National Immigration Forum, lectured on how Christians should approach immigration as it has been a polarizing topic in the United States in recent years.
He argued that people should understand that God cares about the vulnerable, and that many immigrants and refugees are women and children, lacking voice or protection in their country of origin.
Tooley acknowledged the problem the United States has with undocumented or illegal immigrants and proposed a bill, Restitution Based Immigration, that some legislators have been considering. The idea is that people who are in the United States unlawfully could have the option of paying around a $10,000 fine to receive a legal visa instead of immediate deportation.
“Instead of rounding up a million undocumented immigrants and sending them back to their country of origin, those who qualify…those who have never been convicted of a felony, and have good moral character, there would be an online application process to pay a restitution.” Tooley said.
The system would be fee based and require participants to pay a considerable fine to the federal government for residing in the United States unlawfully and to begin the process of becoming a legal resident. This would create a pathway to citizenship if they apply for it. Participants would also be able to utilize various resources to help pay the fine.
“This system would allow them to do fundraising or their church or family members could contribute to that, and it doesn’t have to be paid immediately, it’s paid over the course of two or three years,” said Tooley.”What we have seen throughout the history of the United States, anytime that the government has ever offered some type of immediate amnesty, it never solves the problem. What this would do would be a long term solution that would lead towards a wider immigration reform.”
Tooley pushed strongly for college students to become more involved, to be a part of something by signing petitions, writing letters to legislators and by spending time with immigrants and refugees.
“You and your fellow students are going to see immigration changes and to say ‘I was a part of that, I got to help make that happen’ it is going to be very rewarding,”said Tooley.
Senior Bible major Mathew Hagen attended the chapel service, and agrees with Tooley’s proposal.
“I think it’s a good compromise that honors the law but also takes care of people,” Hagen said.
He was also impressed by Tooley’s manner and ability to remain rooted in a biblical worldview.
“I like that it was putting a biblical perspective on a current issue and real life…It’s good to keep a faith based look at it, and he did a good job at it,” said Hagen.“I think he was right that we should do more to help immigrants and refugees…what he said about how people are willing to go around the world to serve God but are unwilling to serve their neighbors here, was really convicting.”
To learn more about Restitution Based Immigration, visit www.immigrationforum.org.
Headline photo: Students sit socially distanced and with masks on to listen to Reverend Tooley. Photo by Mackenzie Guy.