Given that we are a nation of immigrations, why is there so much hostility towards immigrants in the United States? Immigrants are, by and large, hard working, family oriented, God fearing persons who seek liberty and opportunity. The inclusion of immigrants into our society creates jobs, raises revenue through taxation, and adds to the diversity that has made out nation great. The harassment of immigrants will trickle down to the erosion of our own freedoms – if an immigrant can be stopped randomly to ascertain if they are legal or illegal, how long will it be before it is generally accepted that any person can be stopped by the police and questioned without reason? Will I be stopped because I look like an illegal alien? After all, do immigrants really look different than a noncitizen? If the immigrant is not distinguishable, are we all subject to detention – or is it only the persons that look Hispanic, Arabic, Asian, or African? Does prejudice become in vogue because we label it as something else that sounds less offensive, such as extreme vetting, protecting people from terror, or protecting American workers?
Why can’t a politician be honest about his or her views concerning immigration, rather than try to be on both sides of the fence. A politician that tries to offend no one is repugnant to the sensibilities of everyone. Why is the immigration that has brought so much benefit to our country all of a sudden seen as the main source of joblessness, terrorism, and a strain on our hospitals, schools, and the public welfare when it wasn’t seen as that before 9/11 or Trump? Immigrants are probably the hardest working sector of our society, often willing to engage in undesirable, labor intensive work to provide for their families for little pay and no thanks. Why do we fear what benefits us as a whole?
These are the politics of immigrant stranger danger in which a lie gains credibility through repetition and fear, and we view the world as a simplistic cliche in which immigration is the scapegoat for all of our problems. Contrary to the cliche – immigrants create more jobs than they take. Immigrants are not terrorists – they are not worse than the general population. Accepting the lie of immigration stranger danger does not make us any safer or more solvent as a nation – it just distracts us from the real issues and lead us to the stagnation of the American culture, economy, and freedom.