God and the Illegal Alien: United States Immigration Law and a Theology of Politics [Hardcover]

A fresh response to the problem of illegal immigration in the United States through the context of Christian theology.Millions of men, women, and children who enter the United States unlawfully are deemed 'illegal aliens' under United States immigration law. Where do these migrants stand within Christian ethics? This book explains the rise of the illegal alien and responds to the law through a theological account of politics.Millions of men, women, and children who enter the United States unlawfully are deemed 'illegal aliens' under United States immigration law. Where do these migrants stand within Christian ethics? This book explains the rise of the illegal alien and responds to the law through a theological account of politics.Today in the United States, millions of men, women, and children are considered 'illegal aliens' under federal law. While the presence of these migrants runs against the law, many arrive in response to US demand for cheap labor and stay to contribute to community life. This book asks where migrants stand within God's world and how authorities can govern immigration with Christian ethics. The author tracks the emergence of the concept of the illegal alien in federal US law while exploring Christian ways of understanding belonging, government, and relationships with neighbors. This is a thought-provoking book that provides a fresh response to the difficult issue of illegal immigration in the United States through the context of Christian theology.Introduction; Part I. The Immigrant as Alien: 1. How the alien emerged: allegiance, English law, and federal immigration law; 2. Coming near to distant neighbors in God's world; Part II. The Alien as Unlawfully Present: 3. How aliens became illegal: sovereignty, Chinese migration, and federal immigration law; 4. The humble guard: governing immigration under God; Part III. An Unlawfully Present Alien from a Neighboring Country?: 5. How nationals of neighboring countries became illegal aliens: non-disclƒL