On behalf of Servant Partners, we want to express our great joy and praise to God for the Supreme Court decision to protect Dreamers. We are relieved that the highest court in the United States has settled the issue of residency for our friends and neighbors. This ruling by the Supreme Court officially recognizes the rights of Dreamers (immigrants who came to the US as children without documents) to remain in the United States without fear of deportation. We celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of Dreamers in our nation. We affirm that God has a special plan for each of their lives.
The impact and joy of this ruling reverberates through the urban poor communities in the US where Servant Partners works. We have witnessed the pressures and cruel injustices of our broken immigration system upon immigrants and their families—including our friends and neighbors, church family and Servant Partners staff members. This ruling profoundly affects many people whom we love.
Although this ruling by the highest court is a definitive statement on this matter, our work is not done. We must ensure that the hard-fought gains of Dreamers are substantiated with full and permanent rights and legal protections. We pray that our immigration system and practices would be reformed, so they honor the dignity of all people.
We pray that followers of Christ and our nation would reflect the scripture’s teaching concerning immigrants (see Deuteronomy 1:16, Deut. 10:18-19, Deut. 24:20-21, Deut. 27:19; Ruth 1:16, Matthew 1:5-6, Mark 12:28-31, John 15:12). The values of God toward immigrants are clear—We must welcome immigrants with empathy and love, treat them justly, and create pathways for economic engagement—both in our personal interactions and in our corporate systems. Our faith history reveals to us that immigrants are part of God’s sovereign plan for the transformation of the world.
In Christ’s Hope,
Derek and Lisa Engdahl
GENERAL DIRECTORS
*For an excellent study of the Bible’s teaching on immigrants, we recommend The God Who Sees—Immigrants, the Bible and the Journey to Belong by Karen González. (Herald Press, 2019). Karen served with Servant Partners as a member of our administration ministry team before joining the staff of World Relief.
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