This post is a version of an article that originally appeared on Do Justice, the Christian Reformed Church’s blog.
In January, Canadians and people around the world saw the new Trump-led administration in America use its power to target many of the country’s most marginalized groups—doing so just hours after taking office, and targeting migrants and those with precarious status in particular. Images of young men bound in chains, lined up and loaded into military planes and sent back to countries some of them have never called home, are deeply frightening.
In its first days, this new administration enacted unprecedented and sweeping executive orders—orders that not only target individuals with irregular status but also penalize those who try to protect them. One of these orders dismantled protections that had ensured worshippers and students were safe from arrest while in churches or schools. These policies are frightening in their disregard for the dignity and human rights of all people. Equally concerning is the fact that the individual signing these harmful orders is self-described as a Christian.
While CPJ focuses on Canadian policy, we recognize that the rights of migrants and refugees and the responsibility to protect them transcends borders. The challenges they face do not stop at national lines, and their rights cannot be bound by countries.
Both the United States and Canadian governments must look with compassion on those who come to our borders in search of opportunity and safety. Migrants and the organizations that advocate with them have called on the Canadian government to repeal the Safe Third Country Agreement that bars individuals from seeking asylum in Canada if they arrive through the United States, and vice versa. Despite the name of the agreement, it is more evident than ever that the United States is not a “safe” country, particularly for racialized minorities with precarious status.
As an organization that works to heed God’s call to justice, we cannot be silent when our faith is used to spread messages and policies of hatred and division. CPJ is committed to continuing to advocate for governments, policies, and a world that upholds the dignity of every human being, regardless of where they were born. We may not know the specific circumstances of each migrant’s journey, but we do know one thing: they are not “aliens” or “animals.” They are children of God, our neighbours, and deserving of our love, respect, and compassion.
We know that Jesus himself was a refugee, carried in the arms of his parents as they fled persecution. The Bible urges us to welcome the stranger and treat them as we ourselves would like to be treated: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me… ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35 and 45).
As people inspired by faith to work for justice, this is a call to action, and we must answer it.
