10 Missionary Reflections on American Poverty, Immigration, and the Quest for Middle Class Viability

For several years I’ve been watching and listening to conversations concerning poverty and immigration in the United States.   In fact, in many ways I’ve been living it.  I’ve spoken some about it.  Yet, I’ve also bitten my tongue some.   I’ve read a lot.  I’ve listened and asked questions.   Over the last 2 years I’ve increasingly heard conversations related to immigrants use of public assistance.   A few days ago, some policy changes were made in America’s approach to public benefits and immigration.  I sense it is now time to speak.

Our son Ethan teaching at university

I’m properly a missionary.   I’m an armchair economist.   In Africa we were part of a region with a rapidly growing middle class.   I believe a portion of that economic reality was driven by people of faith.  Missionaries and church leaders started schools, businesses, agricultural projects, and micro-finance organizations that contributed to the increase of knowledge and the economic capacity of our region.   Many of us were reading economic theory books as much as we read Bible commentaries, Christian history, and theology.   Sometimes even us Christian leaders were part of the discussions with government leaders who made economic policy decisions for the nation.   My son, Ethan majored in Economics at Wheaton College and this fall will begin work on a Ph.D. in Economics at Notre Dame University.   In writing his entrance essays he mentioned overhearing our front porch conversations.  He also mentioned the first book he picked up to read on his own was an economic book, Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo.    Some may discredit me as I don’t have an economics degree or published economics articles in peer review journals.  Yet, missionary colleagues do remark I’m skilled at putting together big picture realities and applying the Gospel to shifting realities.

This is personal too.  I’ve for 7 years lived near the poverty line.  I’ve had to find a way to make sense of poverty in America, hang onto my faith, and speak with both wisdom and grace.  Not only has this been my family’s journey, it has been the journey of my Diaspora community.   

If you take the time to read my thoughts, you’ll notice I push against common presuppositions.  I hope this doesn’t cause you to cease reading and dialoguing.   It’s true the Bible does affirm hard work, good plans, and diligence.  The Apostle Paul even writes, “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10.)”  Both government and Christian organizations policies related to the poor should encourage work.

Yet, don’t also miss that in the Holman’s Christian Standard Bible there are 172 references to the poor and 136 references to foreigners.    Possibly, one of the better verses to summarize an abundance of Bible teaching on both is “Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether one of your brothers or one of the foreigners residing within a town in your land (Deuteronomy 24:14.)”  Both government and Christian organizations’ policies related to the poor and immigration should encourage building economic systems that are just.   It is my perspective that recent policy changes made for immigrants to discourage public assistance don’t reflect an accurate understanding of Scripture, America’s economy, and the path to middle class viability.  

Parable of the talents

Here’s some things I’ve noticed over the last few years:

First, America is increasingly moving towards a two-tiered economy.  There was a period from the end of the Second World War until the late 1980’s when America’s economy was rapidly growing.  True, there were recessions and at times high inflation, but most people were able to live in the middle class. There were many pathways to middle class viability.  That’s no longer the economic reality.   The rich are getting richer at a rapid exponential pace.  The middle class either must make the leap into the upper middle class or they will begin a drift towards the lower class.  Education is expensive.  Debt piles up.   There is a gig economy of 1099’s with no benefits.   There are jobs to be found, but if you don’t have the right social connections at the right time with the right background you can only get dead end jobs.    That pull of a two-tiered economy has created a tremendous amount of tension and anxiety.   For almost all citizens of the USA we’re torn up about it.   Few are celebrating it.   Most of us are looking for answers.   Yet, when we turn on the news the pundits tend to just play to our emotions and extremes.  Every now and then we even take a deep pause.  Situations like finding out enlisted soldiers are on Food Stamps and some of our war veterans are homeless eat at our souls.  

Second, low birth rates are not the full reason for the development of this two-tiered economy, but they are significant factors in it.   The American economy had its biggest boom when birth rates were in the range of 3.6 per female.   That season had many men laboring in abundant middle-class jobs that only needed gumption to do.  That season also with so many births drove consumption of housing, automobiles, and living essentials.  That consumption created a booming economy.  Now the birthrates are closer to 1.7.  With such low birth rates its hard to find all the laborers needed for many industries.   It’s also means there just isn’t the consumption of goods that drive economies.   

Third, many Industries need immigrants to thrive.   With decades of declining birth rates there just aren’t enough native-born Americans to do all the work that needs to be done.   Some of that is related to unskilled labor-intensive jobs that tend to be lower paying and take a toll on the body.  Middle aged people many times can’t do that work due to our health.  Many of us also don’t want to do that work.   Many of us with middle class responsibilities can’t afford to do the work.   These industries tend to be in areas such as construction or agricultural.  The USA immigration system only allows 5,000 unskilled visas to be processed per year for these industries so practically our most entrepreneurial and thrifty managers in construction and agriculture have little options other than to use undocumented labor.  

Another growing industry with America’s aging population is home health care.  Again, the wages are so low that about the only people who will and can do the work are the foreign born.  That industry tends to attract documented laborers from places like Sub-Saharan Africa and the Philippines, but the wages are so low that in order to survive with a family the workers must be on public assistance.    If we don’t have systems to get minimally skilled laborers into the USA and keep them healthy, we are shortchanging many industries.  Without immigrants in home health care we would neglect our elderly population.  

Fourth, there tends to be a stereotype of immigrants who take from the system and don’t reflect

American values that is false.   Immigrants are more likely to be employed than native born Americans.  If they are undocumented, they can’t receive many benefits though many of them pay taxes.   If your definition of American ideals includes things such as church attendance, marriage, children, and educational attainment in all those categories America’s foreign-born population hits higher numbers than the native born.   

Fifth, America’s immigration system is a mess.  In fact, in some ways the deepest values of America force us to wade into the mess that theologians call paradoxes.   You can improve the policy, but you can’t make it perfect.   One of the messiest parts of America is our 14^th Amendment which historically affirms birthright citizenship.   It was a great attempt at undoing the legacy of slavery.  Also, if you watch world history, you’ll notice that if citizenship is not granted to refugees born in a nation not their ancestral home when a conflict lasts several generations you will find a permanent serf class develops. A permanent serf class ensures mutating conflict.   In the current American reality undocumented immigrants bear children who are American citizens.   If we deport the undocumented parents what happens to the American citizen kids?   Practically, we’re tearing apart families.  Other factors in the mess of American immigration are that most of our immigration laws haven’t been updated legislatively in over 50 years.    As such our business leaders when faced with a need for immigrant labor either must choose to cheat or not compete.   We have too many choices before our American population that in a just system would be quite rare.   

Sixth, it seems that as the policy is shifting to make it difficult for immigrants to use public assistance there is a common inaccurate perception that undocumented immigrants use public assistance.   Undocumented immigrants qualify for very few public assistance programs.  There is some variation state by state, but about the only consistent use of government resources is that children of undocumented immigrants can attend free public school.

Seventh, documented immigrants do use some public assistance.  It varies by visa type and some by state.    For instance, international students can buy into an Obamacare Affordable Care Marketplace health insurance plan.  Adult international students don’t qualify for Medicaid, but if they have children their children qualify.   Most immigrants don’t qualify for Food Stamps until they have been in the USA for 5 years.  However, many qualify for WIC (Women Infants Children.)  

Eighth, though it can appear that documented immigrants who use some public assistance programs are making a choice to be poor that is a problematic understanding of their situation.  First, whether they are international students or unskilled laborers their presence is necessary for many industries to thrive.  Second, it will likely take their family a range of between 5 to 20 years to rise out of low income living and become viable middle class.   It seems wise since their presence is part of the American economy to use programs that will keep them healthy.   If documented immigrants avoid using Medicaid or food programs for their children America’s health industry takes a risk of massive unpaid medical emergency room bills.   There is a cost to poor health that gets shared out.   Lastly, remember almost no one chooses to be poor.   Generally, to be poor is a degrading experience.  It means your word is constantly doubted as you fill out applications.  It means lots of standing in lines and sitting in uncomfortable chairs in which you have little ability to make decisions for yourself.   It means watching your kids miss out and at times be excluded from functions even at church.   It means frequently being the subject of jokes, jabs, and punch lines.   It means that no matter what successes you have at life most organizations will not consider you worthy to provide leadership.   You are a project and lose individual human dignity.   The social dynamics of much of American life drive one to escape poverty as soon as possible.  

Ninth, many immigrants after years of trying find themselves in an unending cycle of dead-end jobs.  With limited resources many have found that the best way to start is what the Harvard Business School calls Food Stamp Entrepreneurs.  The way the system frequently works is they can’t gather enough education, resources, or connections to break into middle class employment.  Their only option is to initiate.  They must be entrepreneurs.   Research consistently shows that immigrants have a much higher success rate than native born Americans as starters.   Their startups range from businesses to churches to nonprofits.  In simple terms they use public assistance to make sure their family has food and medical care.  Then they use every available resource to build their enterprise.    In many scenarios by the time the enterprise hits maturity the food stamp entrepreneur is employing many, paying taxes, and making significant contributions to America’s economic wellbeing.   Some may take issue with the Food Stamp Entrepreneur by making an argument about America’s history of “standing on one’s own two feet,” and pulling one’s self up by one’s bootstraps.”  Yet, please don’t ignore that slavery was practiced, and land stolen from America’s original people during the origins of America’s history.  If we don’t want to look at the darkness please contemplate how many livelihoods were built by the Homestead Act.   America in both our darkest and brightest moments has created government policy that facilitated low income but industrious immigrants to economically thrive.  

Tenth, there are already good policies in place related to poverty and immigration that should be continued and strengthened.  Here are 5:

1.       Family Reunification Immigration:   Research consistently shows that those who have strong social bonds are more likely to move from low income to middle class viability.   For the religious that means they attend churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues.   For the few nonreligious ones they’ll be involved in student groups, PTA, cultural associations, sports teams, and business associations.   (As a church planning missionary, I can’t help but notice that family migration starts many viable churches, but I’ll hold off on a long discussion on that matter.)   If you want people to have strong social bonds one of the most obvious means is to continue and expedite family reunification immigration.   Thus, there is enough social glue to do things like childcare, business partnering, and creative marketing and research.  

2.       Marriage:   Research also consistently shows that married people are more likely to move from low income to middle class viability than are single parents.  Since immigrants have higher marriage rates and lower divorce rates it seems prudent to facilitate their immigration and build government policy frameworks that reward marriage.   

3.       Children:  As discussed above birth rates must keep pace with aging population and the need for labor.  Since immigrant families have birth rates closer to the Baby Boom it seems prudent to encourage the raising of children.  Tax credits, day care, maternity leave, school lunch programs, Head Start, Food Stamps, WIC, and Medicaid all make raising children a healthier endeavor for low income families.  If one recognizes that to reach middle class viability may take a generation this also seems prudent while at the same time keeping low income families which the American economy needs healthy.  

4.       Education:  Knowledge and networks are the by products of higher education.  Already, the USA has many international students who will try to settle in the USA after graduation.  Also, many immigrant family’s children become exceptional students.  Programs such as Pell Grants, Scholarships, and debt forgiveness keep the education pipeline going so American has a skilled workforce.

5.       Work:  This is obvious.  As mentioned, foreign born American residents have higher employment rates than the native-born population.  They also tend to do labor that few native-born Americans will do.   Labor provides the economic base for national wealth.  It should be rewarded.   Continuing programs like Earned Income Credits should continue and be available for working families.  If social programs are sized down for able bodied families, it makes sense to strengthen matters like the Earned Income Credit.

If you’ve read through this, you may be asking why this is so important for a missionary.  It’s a good question.  One it’s my story.  We’re a low-income family with very successful kids who have been stuck in dead end jobs.  We’re like most of the Diaspora families we know.  We’re trying to be Food Stamp Entrepreneurs.  Two, it’s the story of our Diaspora community.  We love them, believe in them, and want their voices to be heard.   Three, I believe the Gospel spreads through local churches.  Practically, I think that happens best when the Gospel is in a nation that is peaceful, just, and economically stable. 

I chose not to footnote, but if you follow my twitter and Facebook you see I read a lot.  If you want some sources to my thoughts just drop me a line, or maybe even better yet start googling, reading, and make some immigrant friends to trade notes with.  

America is a great mission field.