When considering immigration throughout the world, it may be worth our time to take a look at scripture, and see if there are any guidelines a society should follow should it elect to act in accord with scripture.  Let’s begin with this bit of discussion:

Shemoth (Exodus) 2:21-22
And Mosheh was content to dwell with את eth-the man: and he gave Mosheh את eth-Tsipporah his daughter. 22 And she bore him a son, and he called את eth-his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Let’s take a look at the underlying Ivriyt (Hebrew) for a moment.

•   Gershom is actually spelled (גרשם). 
•   Stranger is the word ger (גר).
•   Name is the word shem (שם).

So, if you put the word for name (shem) with the word for stranger (ger) you get the word Gershem (which is the correct pronunciation).

Now the alien is a bit different than the stranger; for the aliens are called nokriy, although in the vast application of this word, it is generally interpreted as stranger; but meaning someone of a different birth besides the tribe in which they find themselves. 

Nokriy (נכרי) (Strong’s 5237) is generally interpreted to mean strange, foreign, alien, a foreigner, outlandish, or a stranger.

It is of interest that the strange land where Gershem was born a stranger was called the Nokriy Erets in the Ivriyt.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the Mitsvoth that governs sojourning strangers:

Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:33-34
And if a stranger [ger] sojourn [gur] with you in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34 But the stranger that dwells with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for ye were strangers in the land of Mitsrayim: I am YAHUAH ELOHAYKEM.

Bemidbar (Numbers) 9:14
And if a stranger [ger] shall sojourn [gur] among you, and will keep the Pecach unto YAHUAH; according to the ordinance of the Pecach, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance [choqah], both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

This mitsvah is the standard by which strangers are to be treated if they sojourn with you.  To sojourn means to turn aside from the road with, to assemble with, to dwell with, to gather with, to inhabit with, to remain with, etc.

Therefore, if someone:

• Turns aside from the road with you;
• Assembles with you;
• Dwells with you;
• Gathers with you;
• Inhabits with you; or
• Remains with you,

then there is to be one ordinance for all of you.

This is why due process must apply to the stranger among us.  There cannot be one law for the citizen and a different law for the stranger – for you were once strangers in a strange land.

Is the Torah (the instruction of YAH) limited exclusively to Mosheh?  YAHUSHA says the instruction also includes the prophets and the psalms. And for us, the teaching continues through to the fulfillment of the instruction in YAHUSHA.  Consider the following:

Mattithyahu (Matthew) 7:12-14
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Torah and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because narrow is the gate, and troublesome is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.

Mattithyahu (Matthew) 22:35-40
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Rabbi, which is the great commandment in the Torah? 37 YAHUSHA said unto him, You shall love את eth YAHUAH ELOHAYKA with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the Torah and the prophets.

Therefore, we can look to the prophets for additional instruction.  Now let’s take a look at the words of Yechezq’el:

Yechezq’el (Ezekiel) 47:22-23
And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Yashar’el; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Yashar’el. 23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourns, there shall ye give him his inheritance, says ADONAI YAHUAH.

Let’s diagnosis this by segment:

• Divide the land by lot
• Divide it for an inheritance
  1. For you
  2. And for the stranger who sojourns among you who beget children
     1. They shall be native born in Yashar’el
     2. They shall have an inheritance with you
• In the tribe in which they sojourn they have an inheritance.

Thus says the Torah and the prophets.