Contrary to Trump’s Rhetoric, Immigration Is Crucial for the U.S.

2017-09-20T18:27:55+00:00 September 15th, 2017|Immigration|

Continued support for the DACA Program is in everyone’s best interests.

I really like the dictionary that sits on my desk. Partly because my dog Rally chewed off one corner of it when he was a puppy. That always makes me smile when I pick it up. I do use the online version, but prefer the pages of the actual 10th edition (1998) Merriam-Webster’s. On page 1268 it defines “trumped-up” as an adjective meaning “fraudulently concocted: spurious.” Perhaps Merriam-Webster saw the future?

So much of what comes out of President Trump’s mouth is such. Even his advisors pitch in. For example, economic advisor Peter Navarro’s books on China are mainly xenophobic cherry picking, looking at the trees and blind to the forest of the vital U.S. China economic relationship. Yes, we can find American factories that have moved to China. But the trade relationship with China, second only to that within NAFTA, has produced growing prosperity in both countries with employment levels in the U.S. undamaged.

But my absolute favorite example of trumping-up comes from his own mouth, during a campaign speech on June 16, 2016. The candidate said, “When Mexico sends it people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” (June 16, 2016). Yes, to be sure, Mexicans have committed such crimes. However, almost all never have.

Indeed, on my campaign website I classify immigration as a matter of prosperity, not security. Immigrants to the United States, and particularly to Orange County, have always provided our country and our county useful work, economic growth, and good ideas. Immigration policy must reflect this reality, and include a dose of American compassion as well.

At UC Irvine, consider the most common surname among our students, “Nguyen.” Indeed, are the sons and daughters of the most recent wave of Asian immigration, the Vietnam War refugees, “unassimilable?” Apparently not, judging by their marks in the classes I teach. In fact, I do not find it a problem to be working on a campus with what Pat Bucannon, the old racist called a “nonwhite majority” of students. The diversity of cultures among our students enriches the campus experience for all of us.
Yes, it’s not always easy. We do have conflicts among different groups. However, ideas are put up on the table for discussion that might not otherwise be in a more homogeneous environment. And that’s where the creativity comes in American society. Indeed, our UCI School of Business is named for Paul Merage, an immigrant from Iran. Kingston Technologies, one of the biggest firms in Orange County was founded in 1987 by John Tu and David Sun, immigrants both from China and Taiwan, respectively. Of course, there are many more examples, but let’s shift to the overall picture, the data.
EVIDENCE. As the data linked below show, the growth in immigration has been dramatic in the past two decades. This growth could not be coming at a better time. Baby boomers are beginning to need the help from the younger people legally becoming citizens. See the associated data linked below:

Immigration has burgeoned recently  as seen in this Migration Policy.org  graph

Most immigrants to America are young people, as seen in this Migration Policy.org graph.

Overall immigrants advance the prosperity of natives according as explained in The Ecomonomics of Immigration by Örn B. Bodvarsson and  Hendrik Van den Berg.

Immigrants do not bring crime with them. Crime rates in America have been falling as immigration has been burgeoning.

Yes, the evidence screams for support for the Dreamers. And, of course, so does our American compassion.