OPINION: Immigrants are a critical component of America’s greatness
Judging by the uproar over H-1B visas, mass deportations and President Donald Trump’s (likely unconstitutional) attack on birthright citizenship, the MAGA wing of the GOP seems to fundamentally misunderstand the role immigrants play in making America great.
There was a time when this wasn’t the case in “conservative” politics.
Sure, conservatives have long argued in support of securing the border and tightening immigration controls — but there also used to be a prevalent belief that welcoming new citizens to our nation was intrinsically tied to American exceptionalism. President George W. Bush’s Commerce secretary, Carlos Gutierrez, for example, once opined, “Rather than posing a threat to our democracy, [immigrants] reinforce and enrich the values that make America the country it is.”
And the paragon of 20th century conservative politics, Ronald Reagan, made his position on the topic quite clear in the final days of his presidency, stating unequivocally, “We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people — our strength — from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation.”
Such an inclusive view of American greatness, however, is apparently no longer the prevailing ideology within Trump’s GOP — and the party’s emerging hostility toward such attitudes is manifesting in ways that endanger the future dynamism of America itself.
Trump’s recent attempt to rewrite the birthright citizenship clause by executive action is the most recent example of the GOP’s migration toward closed-door nationalism. Aside from being an unconstitutional reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment’s language, Trump’s executive order to end citizenship for children born to non-Americans demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how deeply entrenched the practice is in our history.
As the Supreme Court ruled in 1898, the 14th Amendment didn’t invent the practice of granting citizenship to children of noncitizens, it merely affirmed “the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within a territory.”
As with countless other nations before it, that “fundamental” rule had been a critical component of America’s ascension long before the 14th Amendment had been ratified or the Supreme Court interpreted its meaning. Even the earliest settlements in Virginia included birthright citizenship under colonial rule — and little changed as a practical matter after American independence took hold.
Given the economic, cultural and social benefits of a growing population, it’s easy to see why our nation’s immigration practices were traditionally fairly open. Throughout our history, it was primarily migrant families who helped construct our coastal cities and push our nation’s boundaries westward into the frontier. Even when there were xenophobic social concerns about certain classes of newcomers, their presence would soon become critical aspects of local and regional economies.
Simply put, immigrants and their families are what make America great. Unlike the old kingdoms of Europe, we are a nation created entirely by individuals who sought to establish a new life full of freedom and opportunity in the “new world.” And the result is that most Americans can trace their roots back to some brave soul who fled some foreign land to seek out a new beginning for their family.
Unfortunately, a growing hostility toward “outsiders” has taken root in the GOP, inciting policy changes that go far beyond the reasonable (and even bipartisan) reforms needed to fix the previous administration’s disastrous border policy.
If nothing else, it’s an overreach that will likely lead to political dissatisfaction among ordinary voters.
While most Americans want stricter enforcement of immigration laws, for example, there’s also a strong preference for giving honest, hardworking immigrants who are undocumented a pathway to remain in the nation legally. And while former Trump allies such as Steve Bannon have plans to stymie legal immigration, average voters aren’t nearly as hostile to embracing foreign workers for skilled jobs.
In other words, like so many complex and emotional issues, American voters are far more moderate than election rhetoric might otherwise indicate. Indeed, some middle ground has already been found as a number of Democrats worked with Republicans to pass the Laken Riley Act, a bill that requires the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for certain non-violent crimes such as theft.
Such bipartisan cooperation, however, probably won’t last if the current administration continues to embrace the more radical anti-immigrant tendencies of its base — and that’s not only bad news for the political prospects of potentially bipartisan reforms, but it also demonstrates the GOP’s disturbing abandonment of conservativism’s vision for a vibrant and welcoming America.
After all, welcoming migrants who are fleeing oppression, poverty and persecution is one of America’s oldest cultural traditions. It’s the very foundation upon which this nation was built, beginning with that group of pilgrims who sought religious freedom on the shores of Massachusetts in 1620.
As Reagan described in his farewell address, America is at its best when it opens its doors “to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” The greatness of this nation isn’t something that should be walled off from the world’s huddled masses — it should be promised to anyone who’s ready and willing to help us forge the next chapter of American exceptionalism.
Michael Schaus is a communications and branding expert based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and founder of Schaus Creative LLC — an agency dedicated to helping organizations, businesses and activists tell their story and motivate change. He has more than a decade of experience in public affairs commentary, having worked as a news director, columnist, political humorist, and most recently as the director of communications for a public policy think tank. Follow him at SchausCreative.com or on Twitter at @schausmichael.