I believe there are two answers to your question. We should: 1) Honor and obey our country’s immigration laws and thus we should not interfere with the government agents who seek to REJECT THEM when they come to the border illegally; and 2) Honor them and love them as persons who were created by God and whom God loves and desires to save (and thus we should ACCEPT THEM as precious souls who need to be saved). Let us consider the scriptures that support these two views.

1) Romans 13:1-2 reads, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” These words are clear, are they not? God has appointed every authority that exists, including those in our Federal Government (in the United States) and elsewhere throughout the world where laws have been passed that do not allow an immigrant to cross a border illegally. These laws do not contradict any of God’s commandments to us in His Word, so we are to obey them. If they did contradict God’s Word, we would have to disobey man’s law and face the consequence. We have a good example of this in Acts chapter 5 where Israel’s High Priest said to the apostles, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us” (verse 28)! The high priest was a “governing authority” who was commanding Peter and other apostles to quit preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. How did they respond to him? Verse 29 supplies the answer: “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’” This point brings us to our second view.

2) In Genesis 1:26 we read, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” All people, including illegal immigrants, were ‘created in God’s image’ and are to be honored. We see this truth in 1^st Peter 2:17 where we are exhorted to “Honor ALL people.” Besides “honoring them as persons created in God’s image,” we are to LOVE THEM as God LOVES THEM. The most well-known verse in our New Testament says, “For God SO LOVED THE WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This proves that God LOVES ALL MEN and so should we! It also proves that God wants ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, for He was willing to send His only begotten Son to earth to become a Man so He could take man’s place in death and judgment to save them. We see this truth again in 1^st Timothy 2:3-6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who DESIRES ALL MEN TO BE SAVED and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom FOR ALL.” No matter how sinful a person may be, God loves him and wants to save him, and this should be the attitude we have towards all men, including illegal immigrants. If we were to meet one in our hometown or wherever we may be, we should desire to show them the love of God in our speech and actions (see Galatians 6:10), and we should surely share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ so they may “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved” (Acts 16:31).  (DO)  (588.5)