When it comes to immigration it is important not to get too forgetful. America likes to think of itself as a nation of immigrants, and in many ways it is, but it also has a long history of exclusion and hostility toward those among us not born on US soil. The problem is that America has not left behind its history of nativism. It never will. Even as America is a nation of immigrants, it is equally a nation with a history of xenophobia. And there is no way to escape that history. At this moment we must embrace that difficult history and learn from it. Otherwise we risk not only repeating history, but making a new and very sad chapter in the American story. It doesn’t have to be this way, but we can only change the course of events by acknowledging to ourselves where America has been. Only then can we truly take control of our future.
All of the problems with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol all boil down to one thing–something we have seen before in our history–zelotry. This is the worst thing that can possibly get into a government agency. No good ever has come or ever will come of it. Every time America has had that toxic mix of nativism and zealotry the outcome has been bad for its democracy. The problem isn’t policy. Policy can be dealt with. But when ICE agents go about the business of enforcing policy with such almost religious fervor that it causes them to fire into a car five times simply because someone is trying to interfere with them making an arrest–then we are in trouble.
If history teaches us one thing it is that we are in for the long haul. The hope that a new administration will take over and simply put a stop to all of this may prove illusory. Zealotry has a self-prepetuating momentum. Once it begins it moves on its own. Having said that, history does also show us some hope. Chances are the zealotry will wear itself out. People will tire of the extreme and come back to the middle. And hopefully America will once again remember that it is a nation of immigrants as it has after other periods of xenophobia. That isn’t to say that we should sit on our hands and do nothing. But in many ways we may end up riding out the storm.
We have, however, a lot to say about how long that storm will last. The thing about xenophobia is that it is impractical, especially in the current age. ICE can act with almost cultic zeal in detaining people and demonizing those of us who wish they would calm down and think it through a moment, but they can’t change the laws of supply and demand. We need immigrants; and the harshest, most nativist policies aren’t going to change that. The economic realities are such that there will be more immigration–legal or otherwise. We need immigrants to care for an aging population and offset our low birthrate. And that’s just to start with. The question will be not if but how we integrate immigrants into our economy and society. Because as long as their labor is needed, and it will be, immigrants will come.
And this is what the current administration doesn’t understand. Trump and his cronies think that disregarding people’s rights and an overall climate of cruelty will solve the problem of illegal immigration when what is needed is attention to the big picture economic forces that draw people here in the first place. America’s immigration problem will be solved when, by understanding and respecting the laws of supply and demand, the market forces people are responding to are made to change. Zealotry will prove to be futile.
