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We suspect that they are also people of deep Christian faith in many cases.

Groody continues his story about Maria:

"I was curious about how Maria dealt with these trials before God. 'If you had 15 minutes to speak to God,' I asked her, 'what would you say?' I thought she would give him a long litany of complaints. Instead, she told me, 'I do not have 15 minutes to speak to God. I am always conversing with him, and I feel his presence with me always. Yet if I saw God face to face, the first thing I would do is thank him, because God has been so good to me and has blessed me so abundantly.'"

Immigration policy is a mass of complexity. A wise policy will balance compassion for individuals and separated families with national security and economic ramifications. Respect for law is not negotiable, but it is not everything. And creating criminal penalties for those who aid illegal immigrants falls far short of solving our problems. Those responsible for crafting immigration reform surely need our prayers.

We should remind our lawmakers and advocates that when all is said and done, we're not talking about "the poor" or "deadbeats" or "undocumented workers." We're talking mostly about people like Maria.

Any policy that treats her the same way we treat drug smugglers and foreign terrorists is foolish. Any policy that makes it harder for Maria to come here, temporarily or permanently, is a policy that says that courage, industry, and faith no longer matter.

Let's figure out some way, please, to let Maria and others like her sojourn among us.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

News elsewhere includes:

Senators see immigration reform momentum | Key senators said on Thursday they were optimistic more majority Republicans will back a major overhaul of U.S. immigration law that would give millions of illegal aliens a chance to become citizens as well as tighten border security. (Reuters)

The Gospel and the immigration debate | When it comes to illegal immigration, suddenly liberal Democrats have only one guide to public policy: "What Would Jesus Do?" The target of their Bible-based ire is a border-enforcement bill that recently passed the House and is allegedly the greatest challenge Christianity has faced since the lions in the Colosseum. (Rich Lowry, Reno Gazette Journal, Nev.)

Coast-to-coast 'movement' rages on | The Roman Catholic Church, dozens of grass-roots coalitions and Spanish-language radio disc jockeys have helped fuel protests nationwide against congressional efforts to tackle illegal immigration. (The Washington Times)

Immigrants to be proud of | Everybody says the Republicans are split on immigration. The law-and-order types want to close the border. The free-market types want plentiful labor. But today I want to talk to the social conservatives, because it's you folks who are really going to swing this debate. (David Brooks, The New York Times)

Church groups coalesce in support of immigrants | A wide range of religious groups have been serving a critical role in recent efforts to push Congress to pass what they call humane immigration reforms. (Scripps-McClatchy Western Service)

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April (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50