Anti-immmigrant concerns don’t pass muster

For those who think this nation of immigrants takes in too many immigrants, I hear you.

Restrictionists complain that the media doesn’t listen to them. But whether it’s through conservative talk radio, or rightwing cable television, or my own inbox, I hear these people.

They say it’s not fair to generalize about motives, call them “racist” or fail to acknowledge the costs and dangers of unbridled immigration. They think the United States is being invaded, and that even our legal immigration system is broken because we don’t run it like the admissions process at a fancy university.

They claim that immigrants won’t assimilate or learn English, and that the newcomers want to turn this country into the dysfunctional places they left behind. They say illegal immigrants get free housing, education, welfare and medical care. They take jobs and accept lower wages — both of which hurt U.S. workers. And they give nothing back. What little money they earn, they send to relatives back home.

The way the restrictionists see it, immigration — both legal and illegal — is a burden, an economic drag, and an overall negative. I hear all that. And it’s baloney.

For instance, although the undocumented aren’t eligible for welfare and other public assistance, the cost of illegal immigration is real. But the economic benefits are also real. All immigrants — even the undocumented — pay taxes: property, sales, payroll, etc. Also, those in the country illegally forfeit billions of dollars into a Social Security system that they will never collect.

Show me a county anywhere in America where illegal immigrants use public services, and I’ll show you a county where the economy is humming due to illegal immigrant labor as employers create jobs, buy materials and pay taxes.

The anti-immigrant myths are rooted in prejudice, fear, nationalism or cultural chauvinism. A lot of Americans aren’t happy unless they’re looking down on others. And since the mid-1700s, immigrants of all colors have filled that role.

There is no “invasion.” Invaders destroy through violence. These people see “Help Wanted” signs and think they’ve been invited. Immigrants and refugees would love the privilege of cleaning your home, cutting your grass or tending to your children. In fact, the reason they know the way to your city is because previous waves of friends or relatives found work there.

There is no real constituency for an open border. In 2017, the U.S. government spent about $40.6 billion on the Department of Homeland Security, with about a fifth of that going to border security.

On top of that, immigration restrictionists don’t know much about history. They don’t have a clue that it was assumed that the Germans wouldn’t learn English, the Chinese could never assimilate, the Irish took jobs at lower wages, and the Italians sent money to relatives back home.

Still, many Americans remain bothered by immigrants, both legal and illegal.

What bugs me is the tone of the immigration debate.

You don’t like being called “racist.” Fine. But hear this: I don’t like that, while you’re willing to admit that much of the historical opposition to previous immigrant waves was rooted in racism and bigotry, you claim that those things are not factors today.

I also don’t like that Donald Trump kicked off his White House bid by labeling my grandfather and every other Mexican immigrant a criminal, rapist and drug dealer, and saying that Mexico doesn’t send its “best.” Hogwash. The risk takers are always among the best any society has to offer.

I could do without those readers who think that anyone with a Latino surname can’t have an opinion about immigration; a charming woman once told me that asking a Mexican American what to do about immigration from Mexico was like letting Germans soldiers plan the D-Day invasion.

I don’t like simplistic solutions, or when anecdotes get offered up in place of data, research, reporting or thoughtful analysis. I don’t like how the dialogue over immigration is often dishonest, or accusatory, or without nuance. I don’t like it when some people play dumb and pretend not to know that employers are the real source of the problem — and that, without jobs, there would be no illegal immigration.