Posted on 11/23/2025 11:57:35 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
According to recent estimates, there are over 21 million people living in the United States illegally…From a biblical and practical perspective, how should pastors and church leaders respond to this issue? As those who minister in Los Angeles, this question is not hypothetical for us…
- If a believer is illegally residing in the United States, he should take active steps to rectify that situation. This may involve seeking legal residence through whatever means are available to him (for which we would recommend consultation with an immigration lawyer), or it may necessitate leaving the United States until such a time as immigration can legally take place.
- Christians who reside here illegally should understand that doing so constitutes sin…Staying here illegally also brings with it additional temptations — to lie and deceive (about one’s status), to steal (by avoiding taxes and other fees), to worry (about getting caught), and so on…
- We acknowledge that the U.S. government has been inconsistent in its enforcement of immigration law, resulting in widespread contradiction and corruption…Nonetheless, the government still retains the right to enforce its policies, even if it does so inconsistently.
- We do not believe it is the church’s responsibility to police the immigration status of individual church attendees…The pastor’s role is not to give legal counsel, but biblical…
- We recognize that there are many believers who entered the United States illegally, but did so before their conversion…If a believer, being convicted of his sin in this area, determines the need to return to his home country, the church should do its best to make the transition as easy as possible. This may include financial help.
- We would encourage Christian employers to carefully comply with all state and federal regulations regarding the employment of illegal immigrants.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecripplegate.com ...
Very insightful article well worth the read. Thanks for posting.
The Number of Illegal Aliens - Best Guess
America’s birthrate is below the replacement level.
94,893,531-25,000,000-9,000,000=60,893,531 Illegal aliens
Our population has increased by 94,893,531 people since 1990.
Roughly 25 million people have become citizens since 1990.
In FY 2024, the U.S. issued over 9 million non-immigrant visas, including:
Temporary Workers (H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, etc.): Over 1 million
Students (F-1): Over 400,000
Tourists (B-2): Over 6 million
Business Visitors (B-1): Over 1 million
Me:
What was the population of the U.S. in 1990 and what is the population now?
Meta AI:
The U.S. population in 1990 was approximately 248,709,873. Fast forward to 2025, and the population has grown to around 343,603,404, marking a significant increase of about 94,893,531 people
We don’t need more housing, we need fewer immigrants.
Me:
How many immigrants have become citizens since 1990?
Meta AI:
The short answer is 25 million as of 2023.
Me:
Are VISA holders counted as part of the number of our population in the census?
Meta AI:
Visa holders are counted in the U.S. census, but it depends on their status. Here’s the lowdown:
Non-immigrant visa holders (e.g., students, temporary workers, tourists) are only counted if they’re physically present in the U.S. on the census date (April 1st).
Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) are counted, regardless of how long they’ve been here.
Undocumented immigrants are also counted, as the census aims to include everyone living in the U.S., regardless of status.
The census uses the concept of “usual residence” to determine who’s counted. This means you’re counted at your usual place of residence, even if you’re temporarily away.
Want more details on who’s included in the census count?
Me:
How many non-immigrant visa holders (e.g., students, temporary workers, tourists) are physically present in the U.S.?
Meta AI:
The exact number of non-immigrant visa holders physically present in the U.S. is hard to pin down, as it constantly changes. However, the U.S. Department of State provides some insights.
In recent years, the U.S. has issued millions of non-immigrant visas. For instance, in FY 2024, the U.S. issued over 9 million non-immigrant visas, including:
Temporary Workers (H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, etc.): Over 1 million
Students (F-1): Over 400,000
Tourists (B-2): Over 6 million
Business Visitors (B-1): Over 1 million
Keep in mind that these numbers represent visa issuances, not the actual number of people present in the country. Many factors, such as visa expiration dates, travel, and changes in status, affect the actual count
Gee, you think so?
21 million came in under Biden’s term alone. There’s at least 50 million illegal aliens here.
Due to excerpt constraints, did not include that church should also work to connect those here illegally to churches in their prospective countries.
The spiritual/ethical dilemma arises if they came from a country where Christianity is persecuted or a war zone 🫤. So…requires lots of prayer and referrals to lawyers who may be able to help them achieve legal status at least temporarily based on that…
Surprisingly good article despite the low-ball estimate of illegals here. (20 million likely came in under Biden alone.)
Bravo!
John 10:1
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
Article was written just as Trump announced his candidacy for 2016. So the issue was trending in national discussion.
Ah, thanks. Didn’t even notice.
Curious why1990 is significant. In 1990 The estimate was between 10&15 million by both the Pat Buchanans and pro illegal groups.
Many legals become illegal when their visa expires. Consistently in IT the joke has been: ask an immigrant what his status is and he answers “in process”. Legality comes and goes.
Often the process ends in marriage to a citizen and naturalization. (My wife’s story.)
There are so many different stories most numbers are a wild guess. For example, the Deloitte IES Integrated Eligibility System is so inaccurate that we don’t know the number on welfare in the 25 IES states.
In 1970, Judge Alfred Gitelson ruled LAUSD’s schools must be desegregated.
The California Supreme Court upheld his ruling in 1976.
Plyler v. Doe (1982), a Supreme Court decision guaranteeing K-12 access to all kids, regardless of immigration status.
In the 1980s Los Angeles bussed White kids to minority Black neighborhoods and the Whites moved out of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Illegal aliens moved into Los Angeles.
1994, The Californian voters passed Proposition 187 to deny state services to illegal aliens.
Judge Mariana Pfaelzer issued an injunction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_California_Proposition_187
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), issued during the Clinton Administration, improperly extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens.
A 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), allowing illegal aliens to access programs Congress intended only for the American people.
July 10, 2025 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restored compliance with federal law to ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits intended for the American people are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens.
On January 20, 2025 President Trump clarified the meaning of Birthright citizenship.
Among the categories of individuals born in the United States and not subject to the jurisdiction thereof, the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary (such as, but not limited to, visiting the United States under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program or visiting on a student, work, or tourist visa) and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.
Sec. 2. Policy. (a) It is the policy of the United States that no department or agency of the United States government shall issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize United States citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/
On June 27, 2025 the Supreme Court ruled that federal courts had no right to make nationwide injunctions. Trump’s clarification you must be born to citizens to claim birthright citizenship remains law.
Birthright Citizenship Nationwide Injunctions
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to “‘restrict the scope’ of multiple preliminary injunctions that ‘purpor[t] to cover every person (illegally?) in the country,’” and limit “those injunctions to parties actually within the courts’ power.”
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had issued a nationwide injunction, also known as a universal injunction.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over the districts of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
In the case of Trump vs. CASA.
“Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them.
When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too,” Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote.
In other words, if a federal judge or federal court believes the federal government overstepped their authority, that federal judge or federal court has no authority to rule on districts outside of their districts. Federal judges or federal courts can not make nationwide rulings.
Justice Thomas authored a concurring opinion, in which Justice Gorsuch joined. Thomas noted that the high court’s ruling “puts an end to the ‘increasingly common’ practice of federal courts issuing universal injunctions.”
“The Court also makes clear that the complete relief principle provides a ceiling on federal courts’ authority, which must be applied alongside other ‘principles of equity’ and our holding that universal injunctions are impermissible,” Thomas wrote. “Lower courts should carefully heed this Court’s guidance and cabin their grants of injunctive relief in light of historical equitable limits. If they cannot do so, this Court will continue to be ‘dutybound’ to intervene.”
Thanks for the lawyer respective.
My perspective is IT.
The Deloitte IES Integrated Eligibility System in 25 states is a mess. Its EMPI Enterprise Master Person Index is poorly designed. It has dead persons. It has duplicates. It has mismatch of address, most match of SSN, mismatch of family members.
IES is the Eligibilty system for SNAP, EBT, WIC, TANF, Sec8 and others. From a factual perspective Deloitte is the Swamp. It is the big problem. Illegal immigrants is a smaller problem that cannot be addressed until IES is replaced.
In many states IES sends garbage data to Gainwell or some other IT vendor. The major inefficiency, waste, fraud, abuse of vendors downstream is trying to make sense of the IES garbage..
I asked Meta AI and it agrees with you.
I know a guy whose parents worked in ministry to Hispanics in California. They decided they couldn’t be part of the illegal problem, so they went to the source and became missionaries in Mexico.
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