By Jack Bernard, Peachtree City, Ga. | A recent Gallup study examined long-term trends in immigration attitudes among Americans, a topic perhaps of particular interest to those in Gwinnett County. Surprisingly, it found that the number of Americans who wanted immigration decreased had not changed much in 50 years. Only 38 percent of Americans currently (7-16) want a decrease in immigration versus 33 percent in 1965.
Bernard
Even more astonishing is the fact that in 1965, only seven percent of Americans wanted immigration increased…and that number has now tripled to 21 percent. Demographically, even 20 percent of non-Hispanic whites want immigration increased.
The percentage of Americans seeing immigration as “good” is an amazing 72 percent, up from 62 percent in 2001. So much for the media frenzy touting the groundswell against immigration.
Why do Americans view immigration positively? Certainly, the fact that we are a nation of immigrants has something to do with it.
All of my grandparents were immigrants. I am a retired senior vice president with a publicly held firm. Two of my children are physicians and the other is a successful small business owner. Certainly, immigrants have made this nation what it is today.
There are many other reasons why most Americans support legal immigration. But, what about illegal immigration?
With the Trump candidacy, illegal immigration has become a very visible issue. Based on media coverage, one would think that the American public was up in arms about waves of Mexicans taking jobs from hard working citizens. “Build that wall, deport them!”
But, if you thought that, you would be dead wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The illegal issue is not as clear cut as some politicians would have us believe. A surprising 66 percent of Americans do not want either deportations or a wall (Gallup, 7-16).
The vast majority of Americans, 84 percent, support allowing illegals to become U.S. citizens over time. Even 76 percent of Republicans agree!
Children of the ’60s will remember these lyrics to a popular Bob Dylan song: “Ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.”
With Donald Trump getting elected and Bob Dylan getting a Nobel Prize, let’s consider a reinterpretation of the words to Maggie’s farm. Who works on that farm when Americans refuse to do so? In Georgia the real life answer is un-documented immigrants.
We can build all the walls we want to, but so long as there are jobs here that do not pay enough to attract American citizens, illegal immigrants will come here and take them.
In his 2007 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush outlined a comprehensive strategy:
- The United States must secure its borders.
- We must hold employers accountable for the workers they hire.
- To secure our border, we must create a temporary worker program.
- We must bring undocumented workers already in the country out of the shadows.
- We must promote assimilation into our society by teaching new immigrants English and American values.
It is sad that his party did not support his very reasonable solution to the immigration crisis, which has just gotten worse due to Congressional inaction.
It is even sadder that his party continues to believe that the sole solution is building a wall and having Mexico pay for it.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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