Defending Refugees in Uncertain Times: A USCRI Q&A with Jeff Thielman, President and CEO of the International Institute of New England (IINE)

Biblical Context

The reported policies raise concrete biblical questions about how authorities treat foreigners, how vulnerable people are protected, and whether legal power is exercised impartially. Leviticus 19:33–34 commands Israel not to mistreat or oppress a foreigner living among them and calls for treatment comparable to that given to native-born people. That principle bears directly on allegations that refugees with lawful status face detention, termination proceedings, or severely shortened opportunities to respond. It does not prescribe a modern immigration system or decide the lawsuit, but it establishes a clear moral concern for humane and equitable treatment. Deuteronomy 10:18–19 presents God as one who loves the sojourner and commands his people to do likewise. IINE’s reported work—helping refugees obtain housing, food, health care, employment, English instruction, and legal assistance—accords with that concern for people living in vulnerable circumstances. The passage supports compassionate responsibility without resolving questions about admission standards, government benefits, or the legal merits of the challenged policies. Government authority is also a biblical reality. Romans 13:1–4 describes civil authorities as accountable to God for maintaining order and punishing wrongdoing. That teaching does not make every government action just, nor does it eliminate the need for courts to review executive conduct. The article’s focus on judicial stays and due-process protections makes accountability especially relevant: public power should serve lawful purposes rather than become an arbitrary threat to people who lack practical ability to defend themselves. The concern about impartial procedure is illuminated by Deuteronomy 1:16–17, where judges are told to hear disputes fairly and not show partiality, and by Deuteronomy 16:19, which condemns perverting justice and taking bribes. These passages are not technical instructions for U.S. immigration litigation, but they provide a meaningful standard against which allegations of rushed or unequal administrative treatment can be considered. Scripture therefore supports concern for justice and protection of foreigners, while the supplied facts alone do not establish whether the government violated law. The article contains no specific biblical prophecy or distinctive prophetic pattern. Refugee detention, re-vetting, and litigation over response deadlines are contemporary legal and administrative developments; they should not be presented as evidence that a particular end-times prophecy is being fulfilled.