Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, made a contentious comparison between biblical figures Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and illegal immigrants in a Christmas Day post. He shared an image portraying a Nativity scene being raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I hope this is the last Christmas we have to endure this nightmare,” Swalwell expressed on X, accompanied by a photo of ICE agents depicted as invading the stable where Jesus was born.
While the Bible doesn’t describe Mary and Joseph as illegal immigrants, it clearly outlines their journey to Bethlehem. They traveled there due to a census ordered by Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, requiring people to register in their ancestral homelands.
According to scripture, a decree from Caesar Augustus mandated that everyone be registered. This was the first census while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Each person was to return to their city. Joseph went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David, known as Bethlehem, because he belonged to the house and lineage of David (Luke 2:1-4).
Many Christians argue against the portrayal of Jesus as a refugee, describing it as historically inaccurate. Dr. Thomas D. Williams of Breitbart News pointed out that although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the family fled to Judea when King Herod aimed to kill male infants. They briefly resided in Egypt—part of the Roman Empire at that time—before returning to Galilee after Herod’s death, where Jesus grew up.
Recently, a progressive church in Illinois faced scrutiny for a similar display featuring a Nativity scene. This one depicted baby Jesus bound with zip ties, a Roman soldier resembling an ICE officer, and Mary and Joseph wearing gas masks.
Lake Street Church in Evanston mentioned on Facebook last month that their exhibit “draws direct parallels between the Holy Family’s immigrant experience and current detention practices, reimagining the Nativity as an illustration of forced family separation.”
