At some point, if you are a Christian who supports legal immigration through controlled borders and prudential entry requirements and also believes in the appropriate deportation of illegal entrants, you will be challenged, “Where’s your compassion?” then reminded of Old Testament texts of your duty to the alien and stranger.
However, those texts applied during theocratic rule of Israel when the authority over the moral and civil order of the nation was united under religious leadership. Under that rule, the Israelites and their leaders had a duty of care to the widow, orphan, poor and alien residing “in the land.”
When that period ended and Israel became subject to the Gentiles, civil governance was taken over by the “State” which, the apostle Paul suggested, is divinely ordained to restrain evil and promote good for the service of social order and public well-being.
For decades, the lack of a comprehensive immigration policy, coupled with years of “open borders,” has led to an unauthorized, undocumented population of over 16 million people who pose risk to public safety and national security, as well as a financial burden of over $110 billion per year on U.S. taxpayers.
Because government exists by the consent of, and for the benefit of, the governed, the duty of the government, constitutionally and biblically, is to its citizens. Given the limited resources of any nation, part of that duty is to determine a rate of immigration it can responsibly govern, as well as requirements for citizenship conducive to social harmony and cohesion.