Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice

by Isaac Samuel Villegas

Migrant God takes readers to the front lines of immigrant justice activism where Christians are putting hope into action.
 
From Tijuana, Mexico, to Douglas, Arizona, across North Carolina and beyond, Isaac Villegas cuts a new path through worn-out talking points and bears witness to loving solidarity among Christians—both with and without US citizenship. Along the way, he offers a theologically astute and politically rich vision of beloved community. 
 
Centering the stories of people who have been transformed through their dedication to the work of collective wholeness, Villegas begins each chapter "on the ground"—with protests in the streets, hospitality in migrant shelters, and shared meals in home kitchens. He then engages in biblical, theological, and political reflection to explore the significance—for our faith and our world—of these sites of collective work. Migrant God is a stirring read for anyone who wants to shift conversations about immigration toward a more holistic Christian vision of life lived in solidarity with migrants. 

Genres: Politics, Justice

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2025

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains the rare combination of being about formation as well as theology, activism, and history. Very well done. A tad academic and dry in parts but overall an excellent read. I especially enjoyed reading about the creative resistance and engagement the author has with migrant-serving organizations or movements.

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends and colleagues had been recommending this book. And it is good. And compelling. And I read it very quickly.

[Trinki Brueckner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book is an easy read even though it is fan analysis of the complicated issue of immigration and it's connection with climate change and white supremacy, and the racist policies of the US goverment. The US is becoming a gated community; we will have the resources the white people need to survive - let the rest of the world suffer. This is despicable and certainly not Christian.

[Briana Grenert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Villegas gives us a beautiful and challenging gift in this short, readable book. He shares his memories, his prayers, and his study well integrated into book that becomes a source of hope and a call for action in these desperate times. He helps us see Jesus the Mirgrant in the faces of the mirgrants whose stories he shares, and contextualizes these stories in both the history of the Church and the history of US immgration policy. Villegas has a remarkable ability to express the intergration of the personal with the political, woven through history and grounded in our spiritual reality.
I would recommend this book for anyone who needs a reminder of the goodness and steadfastness of God and the potential of a Church in a time when Christ's body is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds and infested with greed and hate.

[Karlie]

This book, by a pastor from North Carolina, is a heartbreaking look at how we are treating people running from terror and destitution in Central and South America, looking for better lives in the United States. It is especially poignant given that it was written before 2025, and all that has happened since. Villegas outlines a Biblical and theological case for kindness and loving one's neighbor, regardless of country of origin or proper documentation, and explains several ways that churches resisted illegal and random deportation. I would be interested to hear Villegas's thoughts on the situation as it stands in 2026.

[Alex Blount · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of the book is how the author brings real names, faces, and events to migration injustice, all based on his own work in his community and at the border. I expected more biblical/theological incorporation, but his own stories are still illuminating.

[Angry.Sad.Motivated · Rating 5 out of 5]

An especially timely read.

[Joelendil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in July I read an excellent book on a Christ-like, biblical approach to migrants (The Bible and Borders,). This book had some similarly moving stories and helpful information, but I found the underlying theology problematic. The author appears to hold to some form of liberation theology that identifies the suffering of the poor and oppressed with the suffering of Jesus to such an extent that Jesus’ death (and maybe even Jesus himself) is reduced to little more than a metaphor.

More professing Christians do need to grab hold of The idea that helping the poor and oppressed is the same thing as helping Jesus (Matthew 25:34-46). Caring for the vulnerable is a key component of following Jesus (James 1:26-27). However, repurposing Jesus’ death and resurrection as a revolutionary metaphor rather than as the means of eternal salvation for all who believe cuts the heart out of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 10:9-11).