A view on immigration

For the first time in our nation’s history, Americans elected as president someone with no high government experience. The election’s outcome highlights the frustrations of the working class with the incompetence and the intentions of those who govern, either party.

Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become president for many reasons. I recall thinking I should focus on immigration before casting my vote. The differences between the two candidates were (and are) stark.

Hillary campaigned not just for mass immigration but also on a policy of no deportations of anyone, ever, who is illegally present in our country. She also accused Trump of racism and xenophobia, especially after he announced intentions of building a physical wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Yet, Trump beat her by winning states that no Republican had won since the 1980s.

Like I said, there are many reasons why Trump now sits as president. But, certainly, immigration was an issue of signal importance. And, my point in writing this is to suggest that immigration remains as a very defining issue for our country. It’s more than just another issue. It touches upon fundamental questions of citizenship, community and identity.

It may be absurd, of course, for a greybeard like me, living in a mostly homogenous rural area hundreds of miles from the nearest national border, to have much to say on this subject. And the few naturalized citizens I’ve come to know personally have my utmost respect. So, I’m about as removed from the subject as a guy can get.

But it seems to me we’ve been listening to a lot of noise about immigration and not nearly enough substance. And, as all the geeks selling more and more gizmos and distractions on the internet tell us over and over, nobody reads much anymore …or, worse, we only choose to listen to what we want to hear.

President Obama famously called himself “a citizen of the world.” What bunk. After all, “citizen” and “city” share the same Greek root word: citizenship by definition means that you belong to a particular political community. What was Obama trying to say? That real, actual citizenship doesn’t matter anymore, that there should be no distinction between Americans and others elsewhere?

America is an idea — but it is not only an idea. If being a redneck means you believe America is a real, particular place with real borders and real, flesh-and-blood people — and that the Declaration tells us it was so from the very beginning — then, yes, call me a redneck.

I cannot vouch for much of the ilk that comes from Trump and his impulses. And I detest his political declaration to someday erect a physical wall between the U.S. and Mexico. But Trump continues to confound us all by not being entirely wrong.

Smart men, who may still aspire toward the much needed distinction of being statesmen, reread the Constitution. Some point out that the Constitution uses the word “uniform” only three times — when requiring uniform rules for naturalization, bankruptcies and taxation. Thus, the framers of our nation recognized naturalization as very, very important.

Today our founding fathers would be confounded. Perhaps they never thought there’d come a day when those leading America would argue for policies that effectively erase our borders, erase the distinction between citizen and foreigner … who give sanctuary cities a pass, who spare illegal immigrants from deportation, and allow American businesses to import as much cheap labor as they want.

On the other hand, as they founded this country, perhaps they precisely did think this day would come.

Despite all the noise like this on the subject of immigration, we can only have “one people” united by a common understanding of citizenship. And, it seems, we’re getting confused about what it means to be American while it is emerging as one of the defining issues of our times.

Congressman Tom Cotton from Arkansas says it like this: “Just because you can become an American doesn’t mean you are an American. And it certainly doesn’t mean we must treat you as an American, especially if you don’t play by our rules.

“After all, in our unique brand of nationalism, which connects our people through our ideas, repudiating our law is kind of like renouncing your blood ties in the monarchical lands of old. And what law is more fundamental to a political community than who gets to become a citizen, under what conditions, and when?”

Against this background (and much more which, frankly, I must reread) comes the notion of a merit-based immigration system. During these cold, winter nights why not turn off the sit-com or lay aside the murder mystery novel and choose instead to read about proposals for merit-based immigration. Such is the work of citizenship. Understanding what to think is about as American as anything we each can individually do.

You could never tell this by living in Daviess County, MO, but I read where about a million immigrants enter America each year. That’s like adding the population of Montana every year! But — get this — only one of 15 of those millions of immigrants come here for employment reasons. The overwhelming majority come here simply because they happen to be related to someone already here.

We’re at a crossroads. Should being an American be all inclusive or exclusive? Usually, who’s right is not just whoever can yell the loudest.

No one can stop the loss of jobs to automation or global trade, both of which vastly impact America’s working class. But our policy on immigration is perhaps one of the few areas where government decisions can actually benefit American workers.

And, just in case you missed the point, that’s you and me, buddy.

BOX:

Congress may soon consider a bill, the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act.

The RAISE Act would cut the number of green cards by 50% by scrapping family-sponsored green cards, with notable exceptions. Recent immigrants would still be able to obtain green cards for their minor children and spouses but no longer be able to bring adult children and siblings.

People will receive points if they have high-paying U.S. job offers, fluent English language skills, and college degrees.