Sanctuary for Immigrants and Refugees in Our Legal and Ethical Wilderness

Examining the “cities of refuge” in Numbers 35:9–28 and other key passages in the Torah, this essay argues that the social ethics in these passages point towards mercy and sanctuary for immigrants and refugees facing deportation. Ethical injunctions in the Hebrew Bible to welcome the resident alien and modern sanctuary movements are analyzed in relation to contemporary immigration issues. Like the wilderness generation of Numbers, immigrants and citizens wrestle with legal and ethical dilemmas that highlight the relevance of pivotal biblical texts for communities and churches.