Commentary: When refugees arrive, who’s really welcoming whom?
By Jason Yon, Local Outreach and Mercy Director at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church in Upstate, South Carolina.
Amid the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the name of the game was action: clearing trees out of roads, assessing damage and working to get back to “normal” as quickly as possible.
As the local outreach and mercy director at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, part of my role was checking on those living in our local mission houses. At the time, an Afghan refugee family being resettled by our partners at World Relief Upstate SC was living in one of the homes. Several trees had fallen around their home, including one leaning precariously over the kitchen, so I arrived prepared to help with the damage however I could.
When I arrived, I was welcomed with warm smiles and generous hospitality. I was given tea, introduced to the family, and even met a brother over FaceTime. We sat outside together and shared stories. I had come prepared to help repair their home, but I never even made it inside to see the damage.
I came expecting to help. Instead, I was welcomed as a guest.
Refugee families have often experienced more loss and displacement than many of us can imagine. Yet in a moment when this family had every reason to focus on what they had lost, they made room for me.
One of the most common narratives today is that refugees and immigrants are a drain on American society and our economy. Yet that has not been my experience. Through relationships with this family and many others, I have witnessed kindness, hospitality and generous hearts. I have also seen an unwavering determination to work, provide for their families and contribute to the communities that have welcomed them.
Research reflects what I have witnessed firsthand. Economists at the University of Notre Dame found that, over a 20-year period, refugees contribute more than $21,000 more in taxes than the combined cost of their vetting, initial resettlement, and any public benefits they receive (University of Notre Dame Economists).
For Christians, however, the conversation cannot end with the data. We must also ask what Scripture calls us to do. What if we knew our refugee neighbors through genuine relationships rather than political rhetoric?
As our church has spent the past year reading the entire Bible together, one truth has stood out to me again and again. Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly calls His people to care for the widow, the orphan, the sojourner and the stranger. That command did not end with the Old Testament. Jesus embodied it throughout His time on earth, consistently drawing near to the outsider, the outcast and those whom society overlooked – even and especially when the outsider doesn’t look or sound like someone on the in group.
God’s call to love the sojourner remains just as relevant today. As Christians, our ultimate allegiance is not to a president, a political party or any government. It is to Christ. If we profess to follow Him, then we must also take seriously His call to love and welcome the stranger.
Loving the stranger does not mean that we eliminate the need for immigration laws, but it should shape the kind of policies Christians are willing to support and the way we show up for our neighbors.
One practical way we can live out that calling is by supporting a refugee resettlement program that reflects both compassion and wisdom. Before January 2025, the United States welcomed thousands of refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Refugees do not arrive through a quick or painless process. Many spend an average of 10 to 15 years waiting in refugee camps or other places of displacement before being resettled. During that time, they undergo the most rigorous security screening of any category of immigrants entering the United States, according to the Heritage Foundation.
Today, many thoroughly vetted refugees remain unable to move forward. These are men, women and children seeking the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety, provide for their families, and contribute to the communities that welcome them. They are not seeking to harm our communities; they are seeking the opportunity to rebuild their lives safely. As Christians, we should be among the first to advocate for policies that protect the vulnerable while also recognizing the importance of a secure and orderly process.
Further, as Christians, I believe we should support reopening the refugee resettlement program for historically recognized vulnerable refugee populations, including those who have fled persecution on account of their faith. Doing so would allow brothers and sisters in Christ who have already completed extensive security vetting to finally begin rebuilding their lives in safety.
We can uphold secure borders and a rigorous vetting process while also extending compassion to those fleeing persecution. Those commitments are not in conflict; they are both expressions of loving our neighbor well.
And along the way – who knows – maybe others will experience, like I did, the beauty of being on the receiving end of hospitality, yourself.
If you want to check out the original op-ed, head to The Post and Courier.