Open doors encourage open minds

Unless you are Native American, everyone in America is a descendant of immigrants.

So, blaming immigrants for poverty, unemployment, crime and increased drug use is xenophobic, racist and idiotic, as well as a desperate and transparent attempt to prevent the natural evolution of cultural identity, which has defined our country since its inception.

As a first-generation American I can attest to the benefits afforded my father who came to America at age 17.

Clearly he was a dreamer who wished the same for his future children.

Fortunately, xenophobia was not rampant at that time; he was able to work hard, raise a family and flourish.

We currently face a crisis of opportunity, where finger pointing, false accusations and a willingness to exploit and blame those who look or sound different from us is easier than facing our real problems.

There are those among us, many in leadership roles, who would prefer to hold “outsiders” accountable for our woes, seeing them as easy targets for recrimination and blame for our own failings.

Schools and institutions of higher learning, however, should serve as islands of sanity in the sea of chaos now raging around us.

Universities welcome and host students, professors and researchers from many distant countries who enrich campus environments and classrooms, offer vital perspective and challenge people to think differently and to see beyond national myopia.

The world has become one giant marketplace and extended community, with many distinct cultures and opportunities for personal and professional growth and service.

Any effort to limit the interest and willingness of students to travel to our shores in pursuit of an education is short sighted, prejudiced and self-defeating. Additionally, many vital medical, science, economic and research breakthroughs can be attributed to immigrants or foreign nationals, leading to numerous entrepreneurial pursuits, new or expanded businesses, and jobs.

And, more than one million international students contribute an estimated $36 billion a year to the U.S. economy, according to the Institute of International Education.

There has been great concern in the higher-education community about the possible deportation of students protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program enacted under the Obama Administration.

Students protected by DACA are frightened and confused about their future status and ability to continue their education, and are not sure where to turn for assistance.

Colleges and universities are trying to help — through counseling, advocacy and political activism — but there are many unanswered questions.

Yet it is an undeniable fact that this is a social justice issue that is ingrained in the very fabric of our society and history.

With shoot-from-the-hip policy decisions and responding legal challenges, much is up in the air.

But the rhetoric and policy changes being bullied through Washington are wide ranging, and the messages are clear, as are the consequences: we risk losing elite researchers to other countries, and already are seeing a decline in international applications and enrollment.

As importantly, these policies are creating barriers to collaborations that have been speeding technological breakthroughs in medicine, technology, artificial intelligence and manufacturing, a decline we can ill afford.

Additionally, thousands of foreign physicians may not be able to obtain visas for residency programs, further exacerbating patient-care challenges in the United States.

Our nation has flourished thanks to the opportunity to better oneself, seek an education, find reasonable work, raise a family and, ideally, live a life free from bias based on religious or political beliefs, the color of one’s skin or country of origin.

At this time when budgets are strained and legislators contemplate cuts to critical programs and services, we should be encouraging all efforts to attract and retain any and all students who want to pursue an education in our country.

Our institutions of higher learning are essential to future growth and a buttress for today’s and tomorrow’s economies.

We must embrace students, visitors and immigrants from around the world, continue to attract the brightest minds, and not allow ourselves to become isolated and self-centered while the rest of the world grows and flourishes.

The scales of ignorance and isolationism must fall from our eyes lest we become a nation defined by bigotry, not compassion.

Institutions of higher learning are essential to growth and a buttress for our economy.