What does the Bible say about how to treat immigrants and foreigners?
The Bible commands love and just treatment of immigrants and foreigners more frequently than nearly any other obligation. Other major religious traditions converge on the same teaching. The Constitution grants due process to all "persons," not just citizens — a deliberate textual choice the Supreme Court has consistently upheld for 140 years. The founding documents themselves include obstruction of immigration among the grievances justifying revolution. The religious-traditional and constitutional foundations both point in the same direction: welcoming, orderly process, and dignified treatment.
Religious perspectives
The treatment of immigrants and foreigners is one of the most thoroughly addressed subjects in the Hebrew Bible — and the teaching is remarkably consistent across the religious traditions that draw from it.
Judaism and Christianity (Hebrew Bible): The command to "love the stranger" appears 36 times in the Torah — more than any other commandment, including the Sabbath. The grounding is always experiential: "you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Key texts:
- Leviticus 19:33-34: "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself."
- Exodus 23:9: "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner."
- Deuteronomy 10:18-19: "God... loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore."
Christianity (New Testament): Jesus identified himself with the stranger: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35). The criterion of judgment in this passage is not what one believed but how one treated the marginalized — including foreigners. Hebrews 13:2: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." Jesus's own family fled to Egypt as refugees (Matthew 2:13-15).
Islam: The Quran emphasizes hospitality to travelers and refugees throughout. The Prophet Muhammad himself was a migrant — the Hijra (migration to Medina) is the founding event of Islamic history. Quran 9:6 explicitly commands protection for those seeking refuge.
Buddhism and Hinduism: Both traditions emphasize universal compassion that does not distinguish by national origin. Hinduism teaches "Atithi Devo Bhava" — "the guest is God." Buddhist karuna (compassion) extends to all sentient beings.
Constitutional & legal framework
America's founding documents address immigration directly — both in their treatment of "persons" rather than "citizens" and in their explicit complaint against King George's restriction of immigration.
Declaration of Independence: "All men are created equal" — not "all citizens." The grievances against King George specifically include that "He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither." The Founders treated obstruction of immigration as one of the tyrannies justifying revolution.
5th Amendment: "No person... shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The word "person" — not "citizen" — was deliberately chosen.
14th Amendment: "Nor shall any State... deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Again, "person." The Supreme Court has consistently held that these protections extend to all persons within U.S. jurisdiction, regardless of citizenship status (Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 1886; Plyler v. Doe, 1982).
Article I, Section 8: Gives Congress the power to "establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization" — orderly process, not exclusion. The constitutional model assumes immigration will continue and creates a framework for organizing it.
See: Declaration of Independence → | 14th Amendment → | Yick Wo v. Hopkins →
Sources cited:BibleQuranBuddhismConstitutionDeclarationSupreme Court