Christians are using harsh language to advocate for policies contrary to the good of the tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America now in the United States. It is due to a lack understanding, perhaps, that we see an à la carte embrace of law and faith in many around us who reject the proper first action of welcoming and protecting the unaccompanied minors.

Keith Michael Estrada

Demanding that we see these minors as illegals, or aliens, is inconsistent with how law and due process are designed to protect them from persecution at home. Who are we to deny that such children are persecuted? Do asylum officers not receive training, consistent with the law, to help determine a child’s claim to asylum? Reading the USCIS’s 2009 Guidelines for Children’s Asylum Claims would help refine our perspectives.

Why do Christians chime in with positions ignorant of the perspective of these vulnerable children and that lack insight into the Central American experience, especially when the suggestion contradicts Jesus’ “for I was a stranger, and you welcomed me”?

Default use of prejudice-reinforcing language, sourcing information primarily from unfair news outlets, and à la carte Christianity produces public opinion that is often unworthy of consideration.