Just left a community meeting in Houston to talk about the challenges and the opportunities presented by 1.8 million immigrants down here. County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, assistant Houston Police Department chief, attorney, Charles Foster, and other leaders hashing it out. I’m impressed with how deeply the business leaders feel about the mistreatment of immigrant workers in our city. Very touching. These folks want 10 million people paying into the tax base, 10 million people helping bail out Social Security, 10 million people buying phones & cars and oil, 10 million people lowering the national debt. There is a sense here that the immigrant population is part of what made Houston such a great city. One person said, if we had perfect law enforcement, and could deport all 10 million undocumented workers tomorrow, it would decimate the economy. I’ve been quoting Scripture passages about welcoming the stranger. Perhaps it’s time to appeal to enlightened self interest.

Mike

Michael Rinehart, bishop
Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
12707 I-45 North Freeway, Suite 580
Houston, Texas 77060
281-873-5665
www.gulfcoastsynod.org
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