JD Vance’s “Christian Concept” Immigration Defense: One Year of Escalating Controversy

Vance claimed Ross was “protected by absolute immunity”—a statement that drew immediate pushback from legal experts who said the vice president was overstating the law around immunity for federal officials.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey watched the video and responded: “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is b**sh*t. To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz proclaimed January 9, 2026, to be “Renee Good Day.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said: “Looking at the video, there seemed no justification for what these agents did.”

More than 1,000 demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown were planned across the country, with protesters emphasizing nonviolent, community-led action.

The Christian Response Intensifies

The killing of Renee Good—and Vance’s response to it—has reignited the theological debate with new urgency.

Over 19,000 people have signed a petition accusing Vance of “going against Jesus.” The petition, created by Faithful America, states:

“We are greatly disturbed by your statements on CBS and Fox News that criticized Catholics and other ecumenical Christians seeking to show compassion, mercy and grace to the vulnerable. You claimed that it is Christian to ‘love your family and then you love your neighbor.’ You are bearing false witness against Jesus himself who clearly commands us to love our neighbor as ourself, to welcome the stranger, and to lay down our life for our friends.”

Catholic publications are calling his position “a moral stain on the faith.”

The debate centers on a fundamental question: Does Christian love operate in concentric circles, as Vance claims, or does it transcend all human categories?

The Conservative Argument

Conservatives like Allie Beth Stuckey argue: “JD Vance is, of course, correct about the proper ordering of loves. Allowing a stranger into your home to sleep in your kids’ beds and eat their food doesn’t make you a good person, it makes you a bad parent.”

Josh Daws of “The Great Awokening Podcast” says: “People love to say that the Good Samaritan means everyone is our neighbor. That’s not what Jesus was teaching. He wasn’t giving a universal command to treat all people the same. He was showing that our neighbor is the one God puts in our moral proximity.”