JOYFUL PIECE #63

The Immigrant's Experience

The Immigrants, by Luis Sanguino 1973.  Photo by ARodriguez0420, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. ⁽¹⁾

The recent Presidential Debate revealed the GOP’s toxic opposition to immigration. It underlined the basic racist tendencies engrained in the convicted felon former POTUS and his sidekick. They are ignoring what the data shows, which is an entirely different picture from their sordid proclamations. Accusing immigrants of being rapists and criminals may reflect the moral proclivities of the accusers.

I am grateful to  Martha Merson, who brought to my attention Study: Undocumented immigrants may actually make communities safer, not more dangerous and Restoring the Rule of Law Through a Fair, Humane, and Workable Immigration System. The articles, well supported by studies, conclude that the undocumented that extremists routinely persecute make communities safer and contribute to their economic revival. The U S economy needs workers at all skill levels. Who but the immigrant accepts the lesser skilled jobs America offers? This parallels the process through which communities in America were transformed during the waves of immigration of the early 20^th Century. The economic success of an incoming immigrant wave positively impacts the social, health and economic conditions of the pre-immigration population, inclusive of pre-existing minorities.

The latter article also addresses how the immigration system has come to its current state of dysfunction. It proposes new approaches that meet the immigration challenge effectively. The article shows how America has always been a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. This dichotomy needs to be challenged rather than accepting the restrictionist views of the GOP. The concept of “a nation of laws” does not equate to the “law and order” memes of immigration restrictionists that ignore the laws for the sake of implementing an order that supports their racial exclusivist views. Restrictionists cannot be allowed to masquerade as the only defenders of America as a nation of laws.

Engaging in a meme-rich polarizing debate bypasses the urgent need to challenge the inherent dichotomy. Immigration policies must be tailored to meet the needs of the country in a moral and humane way. For a healthy future, America needs to welcome immigrants within the context of immigration policies that provide for economic growth and avoid cruelty such as summary deportations and family separations. These policies need to recognize the unique situations that drive people to leave their native lands, such as economic hardship, climate change, gang-driven violence, and political persecution.

America must avoid the contradictions that immigrants face at the border: “help wanted” signs alongside “no trespassing” signs.

My dear wife shared Welcoming the Stranger?, an essay from Spirituality & Practice. It underlines the tendency in restrictionists to characterize immigrants as criminals (or worse). This contributes to the violence being experienced by Haitian immigrants and the communities that harbor them. American history has left us a legacy of oppression of minorities and such memes revive that dark past.

I have much hope for the nation’s future beyond November 5^th, 2024. Following the Presidential debate there has been a tsunami of opposition to GOP restrictionists by compassionate, and pragmatic, Americans. My post of September 13^th, 2024 The Colors of American Success ⁽²⁾  was my most read post to date. Commenters were supportive of its message and have inspired this post that amplifies its message. There is hope and JOY in that!

20240915

⁽¹⁾ This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

⁽²⁾ As a first-generation immigrant I accompanied my parents to the U S, fleeing political persecution. I was hesitant to take a “moral high ground” to repudiate the GOP ticket assertions, so I pursued the economic propositions of The Colors of American Success. I am grateful for the research that was shared with me noting that moral high ground aside, the benefits of documented and undocumented immigration are clear.