This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Terrence Rice Milwaukee, Wisconsin
My great grandparents were immigrants from Ireland.
Past generations of our relatives were all immigrants at one point in our brief history.
Historically America was built by immigrants. People who had nothing and needed to work hard to survive. They built economies and families. They contributed to America.
In the words of musician John Legend - “Immigrants will assimilate and integrate in time. But it takes time, so I think all of us need to have the same kind of grace that we would want our ancestors to have.” Immigrants change, but not all of the steps they take are on a straight path to assimilation. But, they do change. The early Irish immigrants were considered dangerous radicals, outlaws, and assassins.
For my Irish ancestors, just escaping to America was a triumph, even if that meant only survival, since remaining in Ireland meant a very real chance of starvation and death. Life in the United States was a complicated mix of survival, small victories, and hardship.
In the bible, Matthew 25, Jesus told his disciples that by ministering to the sick, the needy, and the foreigners, they had served him, because “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”.
Thank goodness for immigrants. They are the engine that keeps our economy humming. They do not take jobs away because they are often taking necessary jobs that most of us will not take or do not want to do. The majority of immigrants want to work their way into our system. And it has been proven repeatedly that immigrants have lower crime rates than Americans do and are extremely hard working and family oriented We should be treasuring immigrants not treating them like invading animals. Immigration is beneficial for long run economic growth. Immigration will be increasingly important as the U.S. continues to face an aging population, declining birth rates and insolvency of the Social Security and Medicare systems.
It has long been recognized by economists and demographers that the developed nations get to a point where their birth rates drop below a level able to support jobs and job growth. The United States has been in that situation for almost half a century and now we see the end inevitable result. We are not growing fast enough within to support our continued economic growth.
Everyone agrees that we have a broken immigration system.
We need a US immigration system that provides enough lawful immigration pathways to meet labor demand and adequate resources to judge asylum claims in a timely fashion with strong enforcement mechanisms. America needs more skilled immigrants (people who follow immigration law and policy and are granted visas) to fill certain specialized jobs.
Secure the border, increase the number of Immigration Administrative Law Judges, have merit-based immigration laws to fill jobs with worker shortages including transportation to areas with shortages, increase the legal seasonal worker program, track all immigrants and require periodic reporting.
Ultimately, it should be up to Congress to expand legal pathways for the millions of immigrants from around the world who wish to contribute to the American economy.
One of the main aspects of the immigration debate in the 2024 election has been the use of disinformation by the Trump campaign.
One aspect of Trump’s immigration policy is his promise of mass deportation. The logistical challenges will be significant. According to a recent report by the American Immigration Council, a one-time operation to deport over eleven million undocumented people would cost at least $315 billion given the costs of arrests, detention, legal processing, and removals. The cost to Americans in tax dollars spent pales in comparison to the devastation that undocumented immigrants and their families would suffer. The social, emotional, and community costs will be high.
This is not Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party. In 1984, Reagan said “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though at some time they may have entered illegally”. Where Reagan differs is his welcoming attitude toward immigrants. Reagan understood that the country was fundamentally open to those who wanted to join us here. A few months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan issued a “Statement on United States Immigration and Refugee Policy” in which he outlined goals to continue America’s tradition of welcoming people from other countries, especially those fleeing oppression. He called for the millions of undocumented “illegal immigrants” present in the country to be given recognition and a path to legal status – without encouraging further illegal immigration.
My Irish father was a delegate to two Republican National Conventions, and this is not my father’s Republican Party. ”. We need to bring verses like those in Matthew 25 back into the debate.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Terrence Rice Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Terrence Rice Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Sciencx (2024-10-28T21:20:24+00:00) We Were a Nation of Immigrants. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/10/28/we-were-a-nation-of-immigrants/
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