Sometimes, Lou Dobbs is right

This political season and the mood of the nation will be hostile to immigrants, especially undocumented ones. Lou Dobb's drumbeat complaints about our broken borders certainly has assaulted some of the good will toward immigrants that has often been at America's heart.

Congregations that i have served have assisted refugees from Vietnam,Poland,Bosnia, Dominican Republic and Slovakia. I helped create a center 24 years ago to support Central American immigrants who were fleeing violence. Often that violence was bought and paid for by the US government. Thousands of Americans reached out to folks who were victims of death squad and wars.

Surely, most Amercians hold deep compassion for those fleeing violence and persecution in the country of origin.

At Christmastime,some of us remember that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were themselves homeless refugees fleeing Herod's political violence and finding safety in Egypt according to the Gospel of Matthew. Amongst all those Christmas pageants that the churches offers, one seldom sees or hears of the flight into Egypt. We don't dramatize the death of the holy innocents.

Jesus was a homeless refugee. He taught us to be compassionate. We are a nation of immigrants and refugees.

And sometimes Lou Dobbs is right! Border fences are stupid--but immigration policy must change.