Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice
Isaac Samuel Villegas
Eerdmans, 167 pages, Published March 13, 2025
The Greek word agape is usually translated as love, but Mennonite pastor Isaac Villegas prefers solidarity. His faith community’s lived expression of agape is to provide sanctuary and support for immigrants; Migrant God bears witness to the “perseverance of this kind of solidarity” and builds a theological argument for God as a migrant.
The biblical imperative to protect immigrants and foreigners is familiar — what is unique is Villegas’ startling depiction of God as a migrant. He illustrates this with God’s journey in the tabernacle among “the biblical people of Israel on their pilgrimage in the wilderness” and continues with Jesus, “the Word (who) became flesh and lived among us.” Villegas’ faith is deeply rooted in this understanding of a God on the move, who dwells among the people in all times and places, and it’s a welcome addition to the current conversation.
There is, sadly, nothing new about Villegas’ stories: Rosa del Carmen Ortez-Cruz, who sought sanctuary in his church, Samuel Oliver-Bruno, who received church support before being tricked and deported, and numerous others, named or unnamed. He writes, “(I) invite you to share in both my lament at our harmful politics and my hope for our transformation,” and these devastating stories are certainly cause for lament, just as his uplifting depictions of migrants’ full humanity are cause for hope.
While many will respond to Villegas’ invitation, he is unlikely to persuade Americans who have welcomed our current administration’s anti-immigration approach. Migrant God does not suggest policy changes or practical solutions, nor does it consider how opening borders further would impact America’s already strained social service systems. Here in Chicago, we’ve yet to fully absorb the migrant families thoughtlessly bused to our doorstep over a year ago, and my colleagues at church and our neighborhood food pantry still struggle with the seemingly endless needs. These efforts are beyond the scope of Villegas’ writing, yet even a nod to the realities on the ground would have gone a long way.
Villegas’ uncompromising integrity speaks to those with a heart for immigrants who seek deeper theological grounding, and Migrant God will be most useful to church leaders eager to inspire their faith communities to act.
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