I'll check out what Cato has to say. I definitely agree that immigration is a net plus for our society, economy and for the immigrants themselves.

Your add-ons to my hypothetical plan make sense.

There are several reasons why our immigration policy needs to be reformed.

1. We need to allow employers to legally recruit and hire employees that they need. Not just the “talented” or “skillful” but also those who are able and willing to do menial jobs as well.

2. We need to allow people who are willing and able to work have a chance to do just that, and do it legally with full protection and legal wages.

3. The reason why there are so many “illegals” is that there is a huge backlog at INS. People have to wait for years to get legal papers. The INS needs to take whatever measures it needs to remove this backlog so that people can come legally to the U.S.

There are several reasons why this situation with “illegals” is continuing:

1. A lack of political will by Congress and the government. This is caused primarily by the uproar from many people, both on the “left” and on the “right” who have the primary agenda to limit ALL immigration, whether legal or not. Some of this opposition to immigration is tinged with racism and xenophobia, particularly against Mexicans.

2. Unscrupulous employers who want a continued source of cheap labor. If they can keep the system the way it is, then they can get “illegals” who will work for practically nothing and won't complain for fear of being turned in and deported.

Basically what we have here with our current immigration system is exploitive human trafficking. I've seen people here on this Blog and elsewhere protest against human trafficking if it takes place in faraway countries. However, when this exploitive and oppressive human trafficking takes place right in our own back yard: too many people come up with specious reasons to blame the victims of this trafficking rather than those who are primarily responsible.

whew , thanks Don, anyone who disagrees with you would have the Bible as their reasons.

I don't think I can tell the difference between most Christians and Lou Dobbs in the way they talk about immigrants. So much talk about being legal by people who bare followers of one who was killed for being a subversive – and all for our benefit! I didn't hear the writer ignore the importance of national security, he rightly urged the church to focus on what our true calling is: caring for the oppressed and marginalized in society.

I hope readers will take this for what it is: not a final statement on this issue, but an important corrective for the church that too often goes way off track.

He or she who has ears to hear, let them hear…

First, this seems to be assumed and not proven. More importantly, why is it either/or. It would appear to me that both are true. Furthermore, to assert that it is a security issue is not to defend the rights of the state over against defending the rights of immigrants. It is to defend the people who are here, not some government power. The one sidedness of this post gives rise to the logical conclusion that nuclearferret poses. Why do restrict immigration at all? To bring it down to personal level, does following Christ teaching require that I let any move into my house that wants to? (I actually think a better case can be made for that from scripture than immigration at a national level.) I would ask with Eric77 for a discussion (unless you choose to throw the borders wide open) on what is a reasonable basis to decide who comes and who does not. I'm not sure I have a good answer for that and would like to hear ideas. I do have some issues for the call to reunite families because 1. it was their choice to separate (and) 2. it creates a never-ending stream because the relative you bring in to reunite is then separated from another relative. I think everyone agrees that the process needs to be streamlined.

I read the Christianity Today editorial and it sounded quite logical to me . Secure borders, reaching out to people who come here . Crack down on the employers and such who now are taking advantage of the poor souls who are coming here because they are in dire straights. I really have no problem with the view Medford here speaks from , I can discern his view also coming from Biblical perspective , but his intolerance in regards to the editorial to the Christianity today Editorial comes off extreme and lacking understanding of those who differ with him . His comments such as ” Constantinian form of missiology” of a view that wishes to make sure people who come here are not harming others , causing problems for us , including legal immigrants and illegal for that matter appears somewhat narrow. Nothing unBibiical about finding a way to open your door to strangers and offering them love and hope . How to do this that allows us to keep doing it and hurting us all is worthy of Christian discussion , If he focused on that as did the Christianity Today essay did perhaps he would have found more room for support in the church .
Instead of just “his” superior spiritual and Bibi cal aspect of the church . in which he is implying . Even those of us who may be wrong , wish to do what Christ would have us do . He seems to imply those who disagree do not . Too bad .

What would a humane immigration policy look like not just in terms of the immigrants already here, but those to come in the future? I'm genuinely interested in hearing what people think.

In the meantime, yes of course there is a need to be humane at all times, and every effort should be made to prevent people being left in immigration limbo.