I am a Dual Citizen: USA and Heaven

I am a proud American. I love the USA and the history and culture. No, we are not perfect as nation. And we deserve being known as a modern Babylon. Yet, I do not intend on moving anywhere else and I am grateful for what my nation has provided me with. At the same time, I am a proud citizen of Heaven through my Baptism. As an Average Catholic, I strive to be in the world, but not of the world. I follow Jesus Christ The King of King and Lord of Lords and His kingdom is not of this world. I am merely a pilgrim passing through.

I cannot deny the conflict that is daily present between being a citizen of the United States and a citizen of Heaven. Honestly, I am concern about whether or not you can be a devout catholic in good standing, while also being an elected member of the government. Ideally, the laws of man would align with the laws of God. But such an ideal is difficult at best and prone to abuse at worse. Regardless, I want to be a proud upstanding citizen of the USA, but also a child of God in His Kingdom.

The immigration issue that we face today is a perfect manifestation of this struggle. On one hand, I want the United States to maintain its culture without being overwhelmed with the various cultures of immigrants. On the other hand, I want immigrants to be in a place where they can thrive and live a life of dignity and reverence. It does not sit well with me that there are immigrants that refuse to conform to the laws and customs of the country. It also does not sit well with me to forcefully remove families that have been in the USA for decades who do not have the proper immigration papers.

In my personal opinion, the source of the outrage and tragedy of the day deals with the abruptness immigrants are treated. The fear of undocumented individuals is caused by the nightmarish belief that one day themselves or a loved one will be gone over night without any notification. The tragedy is made worse if the way undocumented individuals are processed and detain is unbecoming of a human person. The absolute injustice is if an undocumented individual is sent to a country where they do not have any connections or networks that would help them acquire the basic necessity of life. How would our situation look if we gave an honest opportunity for undocumented immigrants to report themselves and be given some sort of status or arrangement that all parties could benefit from?

In my other personal opinion, I believe immigrants ought to show respect to the country to which they are immigrating. The immigrants must respect the law of the land and obey the proper authorities. If the US government gave you permission to be in the country for six months, then it is law abiding to leave the country after six months. If a city is overpopulated with immigrants, then find cities that are underpopulated. If a country has a need for skilled labor, then acquire the qualifications to fill the need. Entering the country without permission or staying well beyond the allowed stay is, at the very least, disobedient to the country in which the illegal immigrant wishes to reside.

The actual problem is much more nuanced and complicated I’m sure. We have broken families trying to unite. We have immigrants that have benefited from USA government programs because they are asylum status from their hostile origin country. We have private businesses that have grown due to hard working undocumented immigrants. We have generations of family that are law abiding and US loving people, but still are awaiting official status from the immigration office. We have people that simply lack the resources to transition to a better living situation. Fundamentally, all people want to live a good life, and there are people who believe that that good life is found in the USA.

The USA has benefited from immigrants for centuries. The USA also had to deal with immigration issues every generation. We must have a conversation about solutions where all sides benefit. We wish to be united as a country. That means we must eliminate an “us vs them” mentality. We must strive together to see our fellow man as fellow pilgrims to heaven. We are just passing through the USA, but, God willing, we are heading to the heavenly gates.

Do we see someone as an undocumented immigrant? Do we see someone as a US Citizen? I pray that if we find a hungry person, then we feed them. I pray that if we find a thirsty person, then we give them something to drink. I pray that if someone is homeless, then we give them shelter. As a US citizen, then maybe I’d be concern about immigrants overwhelming a system that was ill equipped to handle the influx of undocumented person. As a citizen of Heaven, then maybe I’m more concern that people are getting the dignity and respect owed to them as a human person.

The immigration crisis must be resolved in a dignified and humanitarian way. We are all made in the image of likeness of God even if we do not share the same status with Uncle Sam. The immigrants coming to the USA are filled with wonderful and beautiful people. The undocumented people in the USA have faithfully served their communities and families within the USA for decades. The USA has problems and it is altogether possible that immigrants can be a part of the solution to those problems. It will require obedience from the immigrants and charity from the USA. God willing, we will will the good of all the people that reside within the US of A.