Christians: We must support the bipartisan DREAM Act that was reintroduced in Congress
Photo: Todd Dwyer via Wikimedia Commons.
The conversation about immigration in the United States is often complicated, filled with legal arguments, historical context, and strong emotions. But sometimes, the most profound questions are the simplest ones, and they center on fairness.
We are talking about young people, often called Dreamers, who were brought to this country as children. They grew up here. They went to our schools, pledged allegiance to our flag, and know no other home.
The effort in the Senate to reintroduce the DREAM Act is an attempt to address this very simple, powerful injustice. It seeks to create a pathway for these neighbors to legally remain here and contribute fully to the country they already belong to.
Looking at their stories, it is clear that this is not just a matter of good policy, it is fundamentally the right thing to do. It is about acknowledging the reality of their lives and the fact that we cannot punish adults for decisions made by their parents when they were children.
Fairness requires us to give them the stability to pursue their lives, their education, and their dreams without the constant fear of deportation.
Beyond what is simply fair and right in the civic sense, there is a clear mandate for those of us who follow the Christian faith. The core message of the Gospels is a relentless call to radical love and welcome.
Our faith traditions are built on the journey of the immigrant, the refugee, and the traveler. We are repeatedly taught to welcome the stranger, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to care for those society deems "the least of these."
The guidance we receive from Scripture is unmistakable in its demand for hospitality and justice. Our history is rooted in the experience of migration. The ancient command, as recorded in the Bible, reminds us of this heritage.
In Leviticus, God instructs the people, “The alien who resides with you must be to you as the citizen among you; you must love it as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
This commandment is not a suggestion; it is a foundational pillar of justice, reminding us that we, too, were once strangers.
This ancient teaching is echoed and amplified in the New Testament. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus affirms the directive to love God, and then immediately pairs it with the essential ethical duty, saying, as we read in Mark 12:31, “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The Dreamers, the young people in our communities, are absolutely our neighbors. Our faith requires us to show them the same love and regard we show ourselves.
Furthermore, Jesus makes caring for the marginalized the very measure of our devotion to him. When describing the final judgment in Matthew 25, the judgment is not based on ritual, but on service to the vulnerable.
Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”
For us, this means the choice is clear. The Dreamers are among the vulnerable, their stability hanging on complex legal processes. They are the ones we are called to serve, and in doing so, we serve God.
As leaders in faith, our voice should champion this moral clarity. We must speak for a policy that offers hope and a future, not fear and separation.
Supporting a measure like the DREAM Act is not merely a political stance, but a profound commitment to living out the compassion of Christ for those who are vulnerable. It is what our conscience tells us is just, and it is most certainly what the Gospels require of us.
A vote for the DREAM Act is a chance to put the core command of love into concrete action, creating a pathway for our neighbors to finally feel at home.
