Lehi and Illegal Immigration

[Gideoncaptain of 100]

6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
(2 Nephi 1:6–9)‎

Does verse 6 have any impact on illegal immigration?
Does verse 8 imply that verse 6 is a temporary condition?
Does verse 9 refer to Mulek?

[scottjacaptain of 100]

A few things I would like to mention.

1. Both the North and South American Continents are the promised land. In Mosiah 29:26-27 When the voice of the people choose wickedness, the Lord will send great destructions - I believe that is what has been happening in many countries, and will soon happen in the USA. The USA is not the promised land, but it is part of the promised land. The Mexican people are already here in the promised land, just like the Jaradites, Nephites, Mulekites, and Pilgrims. What happened to their civilizations and why?

2. Sometimes I wonder if the Lord would be pleased with our current immigration laws, TSA, department of homeland security..., knowing that He setup the Constitution in this land. The principles of the Constitution extend to all mankind - not to just those who live between lines drawn on a map.

3. Verse 7 above is the important verse for me. We will prosper if we keep the commandments, and live in a land of liberty...
except for iniquity... which will bring our captivity... What is happening in other nations of the American continents?
Liberty or Captivity? Political / Economic?

7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.

[lundbaekcaptain of 1,000]

For what purpose did the Lord establish the United States of America and its government ?

What effent is illegal immigration having on that objective ?

[jonesdecaptain of 1,000]

We have nothing to worry about, all is well. Eat, drink, and be merry... and don't worry about your neighbors who are harmed by pesky little details like enactment and enforcement of immigration law. Chances are they deserved it anyway... that's what those scriptures are telling us.

God knows who he wants in the USA and who he doesn't want to come here. God instituted governments for our protection, including the US Federal government and the US Border Patrol. This means that on this sort of matter when the US Congress enacts laws they are basically acting as prophets and channeling inspiration from God. When border bureaucrats round up or shoot people who show blatant disdain for the righteous laws of the land, they are acting even as Captain Moroni and the Armies of Helaman. When families are separated, property stolen or forfeited, and children live in fear of what even their trusted teachers might do to them and their parents, we can be comforted that it is the will of God and either these people deserve the treatment they are experiencing at our hands, or if not then God will preserve and protect them in spite of, and if necessary from, our violent acts.

At least, I think that's what I remember learning in Sunday School...

[Bob WebsterHi, I'm new.]

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION OXYMORON
Every law has a consequence, or it is not a law at all. The US Constitution provides adequately for immigration. The press and political parties are all “misnomering” the entire issue. Immigration is an honest declaration of intent to change residence and allegiance from one nation to another, and complete the entire legal process to qualify, and become a citizen of the newly chosen nation.

What America is experiencing is ILLEGAL INVASION. It is not immigration!! Attempting to steal across the another nation’s border and establish a residence is fraud, illegal, and subject to the penalties of breaking that nation’s laws which protect its borders and legal citizenry. The press and politicians are grossly guilty of even labeling it as “illegal immigration” in the first place. Using the two words together creates a classic OXYMORON (eg. Hot Ice). Just using the oxymoron term “illegal immigration” to describe illegal border invasion is aiding and abetting the invaders. STOP IT !! IT IS NOT IMMIGRATION. IT IS ILLEGAL INVASION !

When persons cross the border illegally, and spend time there (the amount of time is irrelevant) neither they nor their families and associates are entitled to citizenship! No amount of time erases either the lawful system or the penalties for violation. If they are caught and deported, their families must go with them. The grief is legally and justly upon the heads of the illegal parent(s). Law enforcement officers are agents trained to uphold and enforce the laws of their lawful government, as administered by their elected representatives. It is the invaders who are the illegal wrongdoers, not the government which apprehends and punishes them according to the broken law.

When an illegal non-resident publicizes that they are “illegal, but not a criminal” they are wrong! When a law is broken, it is a crime, and the assigned legal penalty must be paid. Any children engendered in the new country do not achieve automatic citizenship by being born there. The entire 14th Amendment - ANCHOR BABY issue is a flagrant misinterpretation of the Founders’ intent. The Founders intent was that children, born in the USA of “immigrant” parents who subsequently achieved lawful naturalization, should not be treated as foreigners or be required to go through the immigration process also. There was no intent that an illegal invader or vacationing/visiting foreigner could give birth in the USA with the child thereby automatically gaining US citizenship !!! Such a distorted concept is a serious breach of the US Constitution and the Founders’ intent. To perpetuate that deception is dishonorable journalism and citizenship. There is a more honorable way to “sell papers,” or gain voter approval - Support America’s Founders’ correct principles.

Those pleading for compassion in “not breaking up families”, miss an overriding issue – personal agency and its consequences. It is a terrible stress that illegal children raised in the US may have to be deported with their illegal parent(s), but the painful consequence of the illegal actions now comes to full fruition upon the illegal parents, who knew they were violating the immigration laws. Time does not make the penalty go away, it exacerbates it!

Do the innocent children of illegals deserve the penalty? Not personally, but they are not citizens, do not have citizen rights, and are subject to their parents, who receive the penalty, part of which is to personally experience the consequences of what their illegal acts have done to their children. To deport the parents and leave their children here is an even worse case of “breaking up families.”

The other side of the coin, attempting to justify amnesty for the innocent victims, disembowels the US Constitution’s true immigration provisions and our overall security, earned by the legal US citizens. It dissolves America’s legal borders.

To merely jail the violators for extended time periods not only breaks up families, but imposes an unjust drain on the legal government’s resources, paid by the offended citizens. For the press and political parties to make this a politically misinterpreted and misnomered “futboll,” is a flagrant insult to the US Constitution, and degenerates America into the status of suffering an ongoing informal revision of the Constitution, by whatever may be in the current political winds.

The Constitution is not that type of “living document,” by which we may alter or abolish the original at the whims of the current majority viewpoints, either by some chanting street marchers or by the reporting media. Neither the media nor shouting dissidents can create law. Attempting to do so is the ugly side of democracy, which America’s Founders rejected as an inferior, failure system, and instead, pointedly established an orderly Constitutional Republic, including immigration laws. Every law has a consequence, which must be paid, or it is not a law at all.

Bob Webster
Pleasant Grove, UT.