Immigration—Why Are We Fighting About Something that Will Save Us?

We are a country of immigrants: the Statue of Liberty towers over Ellis Island, yet we do not welcome immigrants today. The immigration system is broken, and not for the first time. Political leaders, spurred on by a small fraction of nativists, have repeatedly stopped much of the world from immigrating to the US. Think of the Chinese, Japanese, Irish, Italian, and Afghan immigrants, and contrast that to the welcoming given to the Vietnamese. Thousands from Latin America, and a smaller number from Africa and the Middle East, are seeking refuge on our southern border despite not coming close to meeting the carefully crafted statutory definitions of asylum and refugee. This presentation will discuss the history of immigration in the United States, what went wrong, where it is headed under President Trump, and how to fix it.