Living in the Pluralist World
One generation from now, political scientists will credit President Trump with forcing Americans to re-consider what it means to live in a pluralist society. A reasonable observer will admit the American melting pot needs work to ensure these United States stay united and all citizens enjoy the pursuit of happiness. Trump is reminding the world it is not every resident's right to enjoy the pursuit of happiness, because that right is reserved for US citizens.
Right-minded (and legal) immigrants are an economic necessity in the USA, and they do enrich our culture. By definition, a right-minded immigrant brings more to the USA than he or she takes away. Obviously, a Jamaica-born physician brings more than an uneducated Haitian dishwasher; however, that dishwasher is right-minded if he wants to learn English, acquire skills, and pursue economic betterment (AKA the American dream). A law-abiding Pakistani is a right-minded immigrant, but a Honduran MS13 gang-banger is not. It is reasonable to believe right-minded immigrants enter legally, obey the law, make an economic contribution, and pay taxes.
To truly understand American-style pluralism, one must disregard the current political kerfuffle to focus on the current facts, which support the traditional path to assimilation and citizenship. Reject the alt-right that demonizes immigration as a threat to the American Way because E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) still trumps Dixie - and reject the so-called liberals that demonize forgotten Americans because illegal immigration absolutely suppresses wages.
It is any citizen’s right to question the benefits of immigration after a 30-year influx of Third World immigrants (many of whom entered illegally), but it is wrong to resent any particular ethnic group when the real problem is uncontrolled and non-legal immigration. In 2015, there were 43.2 million foreign-born residents in the USA, which amounts to 40% of the world’s migrants. Of that total, 19.8 million (44.1%) were naturalized citizens, 11.9 million (26.6%) were lawful permanent residents, 11 million (24.5%) were illegal immigrants, and 2.1 million (4.8%) were temporary lawful residents (source: Pew Research).
The USA welcomed 32.2 million legal immigrants because the world’s largest economy needed them. As a macro-economic matter, it is absurd to suggest all immigration hurts this country. The agricultural and hotel industries reject this xenophobic view because they don’t want to be under-staffed. Just consider your personal economics: you probably appreciate many hard-working immigrants that provide you with goods and services.
I believe my last statement is true, but I also believe 11 million undocumented aliens are unacceptable in a nation of laws - and it is wrong for Democrats to call this view “racist” because legal immigration is not the problem. According to Gallup, 48% of Democrats, 57% of independents, and 79% of Republicans are worried today about illegal immigration. Of course, some anti-immigrant forces are motivated by racial bias, but they are not 60 percent of the population – no way and no how! Even MSNBC’s Chris Matthews sees the problem: “Either we have a country, with borders and enforced laws, or we don’t!”
It is time for legislators – of every political stripe – to strengthen American-style pluralism to ensure immigrants buy into the the tenets of Anglo-American jurisprudence, cultural assimilation, and constitutional democracy. Conservatives can re-commit to the American Dream and ratchet down the “criminal immigrant” narrative, while liberals can re-commit to E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) and stop their divisive identity politics.
For hundreds of years, waves of settlers provided a net benefit to the previous waves of settlers, who employed, bought from, or sold to them. Most Americans were consumed with self-survival, and westward migration defused any angst over scarce jobs and resources. Even into the industrial age, native-born citizens accepted the economic necessity of immigrants to work in eastern factories and farm the great midwestern plains. That is not so true today because working-class citizens, coping with wage stagnation, reject the economics of illegal immigrants. Native-born factory workers have "real world" experience with how illegal immigrants suppress wages in their communities. Be honest: would you feel any different? I live in such a community and the despair is quite real.
American-style pluralism has forever seen immigrants follow a path of acknowledgement, tolerance, and acceptance into the mainstream culture. Just like Novocain, it takes time but always works. Native-born Americans routinely acknowledge the value immigrants add (welcoming a Jamaican physician and jailing an MS13 member). Tolerance follows WHEN immigrants make a perceptible contribution to the community (Vietnamese pedicure shops, Mexican lawn-care companies, or Jamaican jerk chicken restaurants). This is the time-tested path to acceptance, when immigrants join churches and little league teams. What could be more American?
The time-tested path to citizenship is being sorely tested. American businesses have opted for low wages over local citizens. Non-citizens demand treatment equal to US citizens. Islamic terrorists frighten a predominately Christian citizenry into a xenophobic shell. MS13 gang-bangers invite support for Trump's wall. This is madness when the solution is simple. Enter legally. Obey the law. Add value to the American economy. Pay taxes. Everything else is identity politics. I think I'm right about this.