Being “Illegal” as an American Missionary

Readers,

The other day, I started thinking about immigration, what the word “illegal” actually means, and to whom it applies. Obviously there are people, usually Republicans, who slap the “illegal” label on a certain group of people: undocumented Central and South American immigrants living in the United States. Undocumented Canadians are never called “illegal immigrants” or “illegals.” Nor are they ever mentioned when politicians discuss immigration issues. The spotlight remains fixed on undocumented Central and South American immigrants. According to this nation, they alone are the “illegals.” In case there is any confusion, a person cannot be “illegal.” They can commit an illegal action, but they themselves are never “illegal.”

That is a race-based categorization that is absolutely discriminatory and prejudiced. While thinking about the way so many people label Latino immigrants in this country, the Lord brought something startling to mind. I was an “illegal immigrant” in a certain country last year. Furthermore, I visited this country a few times before under false pretenses. I won’t name the country because I do hope to go back some day!

I first traveled to this country in 2015 with a tourist’s visa and did missionary work. I did it again in 2016. Last year, I moved to this country with no intention of returning to the United States. Locals from this country told me that countless American missionaries have stayed there on tourist’s visas. They actually told me how I could beat the system and manage to stay in that country “without getting caught.” I left this country after two months because my half-baked plan of abandoning the United States and living in this country with hardly any connections didn’t pan out well. Who could’ve thought?

The entire time that I did this, and whenever I do it again in the future, I was and will be what one could call “illegal.” I pretended to be a tourist, lied at immigration when they asked why I was there, and lived in that country while doing mission work. I should have had a missionary visa, but the mission organizations and missionaries I know informed me that this country never approved those visas. Everyone goes and stays on tourist visas.

Is what I and so many other missionaries do justifiable because we are doing the Lord’s work? Some would say yes while others would say that our actions are drenched with hypocrisy, especially if we throw stones at undocumented Central and South American immigrants. Personally, I think that we straddle a fine line between following where Jesus calls and obeying man-made laws. If the only way to share the gospel with people of a particular nation is to illegally live there, then I think we must obey the Great Commission even if that means breaking a law.

That being stated, there are families who come to the United States without documentation in order to pursue healthy, safe lives. This is a holy desire to escape from violence and political uncertainty to provide hope for the future. How can we as Christians, as humans who would do the same if we were in their position, cast a condemning eye upon undocumented immigrants? We are kidding ourselves if we think that missionaries are doing God’s work, but that families seeking asylum are not.

Think about it.

Blessings,

Gabrielle G.