America is frequently touted as “the greatest nation in the world.” Anytime that I hear someone say that, I can’t help but think of this dazzling opening scene from the 2012 HBO drama “The Newsroom,” where a college student asks a prominent nightly news host (played valiantly by Jeff Daniels) to explain why we’re the “greatest.” Watch the response here. (Pardon the cursing!)
As brilliantly pointed out by the show’s writer, Aaron Sorkin, there are few, if any, metrics to suggest that America is the greatest country in the world. But as the show goes on to explore, it perhaps once was, and, perhaps, it can be again. Unfortunately, the Trump administration espouses that the only way to “make America great again” is by ridding ourselves of one of our single greatest strengths: our cultural diversity.
As a nation made almost entirely of immigrants (less than 3% of our current population stems from families who are native to this land), America established itself 250 years ago as a place where anyone in the world seeking freedom from oppression of any kind could come and have the opportunity to thrive. Unfortunately, that vision has been twisted and abused over the years. For centuries, immigrants from all over the world have endured waves of violence and animosity in routine intervals. From violent attacks on both Chinese and Spanish-speaking immigrants in the late 19th century, to the “repatriation” of nearly one million people to Mexico in the 1930s (many of whom were actually US citizens), to the violence and harassment faced by Middle Eastern immigrants following 9/11, America has a well-established pattern of scapegoating immigrants when it suits its leaders politically. During times of economic or political uncertainty or strife, people in positions of power attempt to distract from their own culpability in the situation by blaming immigrants instead.
The tactic is rooted in a base psychological hostility towards or suspicion of “outsiders.” This fear is primal, developed by early human instincts to distinguish between insiders (those who you are safe with) and outsiders (those who may cause a threat). Powerful people capitalize on that instinct to sow discord amongst people who may otherwise rise up against them or force them to change their behaviors. Immigrants are an easy target for this tactic, because they may have defining physical characteristics (skin tone, eye shape, etc.) or cultural practices (language, religion, diet, etc.) that set them apart from those in power. There is ample evidence of these attacks throughout history, but I’ll focus on the most recent wave of scapegoating against immigrants that has been rampant over the last decade.
We are living in tumultuous times. We are facing a global climate crisis that is shifting weather patterns and causing increasing damage via natural disasters. We lived through a global pandemic, forcing hard conversations about future biological threats and inequitable access to healthcare. Artificial intelligence and other technological advances are fundamentally reshaping the workplace, growing fears of mass layoffs in the near future. The US housing market is short 6.5 million homes, forcing growing rates of poverty and homelessness. These are big problems that need bold solutions.
Unfortunately, rather than facing these issues head on as true public servants, many of our federal and state leaders are choosing to distract from these real concerns by instead blaming immigrants for… well, seemingly, everything!
- Lost your job or can’t find a good job in your community? Blame immigrants.
- Can’t afford housing? Blame immigrants.
- Worried about crime in your community? Blame immigrants.
- Have a friend or family member impacted by the opioid crisis? Blame immigrants.
- Worried about how the government is spending your tax dollars? Blame immigrants.
Even though data directly refutes each of these claims, it hasn’t stopped our state and federal leaders from doggedly pursuing these lines of attack against our foreign-born neighbors and their families. But, unfortunately, policy often follows rhetoric. When you create this sort of fear and anger in the American public, it turns out that you can score further political points by “fixing” the problem that you fabricated. If “they” are taking “our” jobs and “our” housing and committing violent crime in “our” communities, then, of course, the next “logical” step is to deport them. This is where we find ourselves today– witnessing a mass deportation campaign that has sowed fear and unrest in our communities, as well as directly leading to the deaths of at least 50 people in the last 18 months.
While immigrants and their families are taking the brunt of the violence and disruption stemming from these false claims and our government’s resulting actions, it is crucial to remember that these words and actions harm Americans, too – often those Americans who are already struggling. For example:
- According to the National Immigration Law Center, more than one million immigrants (including approximately 350,000 undocumented workers) are currently working in essential health care jobs in the United States. Many individuals legally working in healthcare positions are currently being stripped of their Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian parole. During a time when healthcare is increasingly difficult to access and our population is aging very quickly, millions of Americans could be harmed by this sort of drop in the healthcare workforce. Deportations are also creating a significant strain on nursing home and home care agencies, where immigrants staff one in every four positions.
- At a time when we desperately need to build more homes to meet demand in the housing market, deportations are holding us back. One in four employees in the construction industry are immigrants, and mass deportations will only expand the housing crisis, with devastating repercussions for all Americans.
- The Economic Policy Institute notes that if the administration meets its goal of deporting four million people in four years, we’ll lose nearly six million jobs as a country, including 2.6 million jobs held by US-born workers. Deporting immigrants who are filling essential jobs in the American economy is projected to reduce the nation’s GDP by more than 7% in the next three years, nearly double the damage to the American economy incurred during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.
- During a time when our Social Security program is facing a substantial funding shortfall, it is important to remember that undocumented immigrants contributed more than $26 billion in 2022 alone, despite being ineligible to receive this benefit themselves. Choosing deportations over a pathway to citizenship will only hasten the looming crisis for our seniors, many of whom depend on social security to survive.
- Non-white American citizens have expressed deep fears of being stopped by ICE on the street or in other public places (like Home Depot parking lots) due to ICE’s violent tactics and robust history of detaining American citizens based solely on appearances. As a result, many of our fellow citizens have chosen to withdraw from public life when there are reports of ICE in the community. This has been reflected in reporting on a drop in church attendance related to fears of encounters with ICE. Small business owners also report harm to their businesses as a result of people choosing to hide out at home.
Here in Missouri, Empower’s staff has been battling a proposal to add extra application burdens to Missouri families applying for federal safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid. These bills (HB 2481 & SB 1616) were presented to the legislative body as a push to prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving safety net benefits, which they cannot, and have never been able to, access under federal law. The bills, which Missouri’s own Department of Social Services says would violate at least four federal laws, would require every applicant for these programs to provide a notarized copy of their birth certificate to establish citizenship– both upon application as well as at every recertification (every 6 or 12 months, depending on the program).
Families struggling with poverty tend to be a very transient population, moving frequently, sometimes on very short notice. Paperwork often gets lost in the shuffle. Forcing families earning low-incomes to present unnecessary documentation (when citizenship and immigration status are already verified electronically by the Social Security Administration & the Department of Homeland Security) is a pointless exercise designed to seem tough on immigrants while really pushing American citizens off the program by creating additional hurdles for them.
We must end these pointless attacks on immigrants. Immigrants are our friends and neighbors. They are our doctors, nurses, and health aides. They care for our children in day care centers and our seniors in nursing homes. They build our homes and harvest our crops. They open and operate small businesses that fuel our economy. They obey our laws and commit far fewer crimes than US-born citizens. They are mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and grandparents. They are beloved.
And, if for no other reason, we must stop these attacks because they hurt native-born Americans, too.
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