What's this about Immigration restrictions?

Iftar Dinner at Central Woodward Christian Church of Troy
I grew up in Oregon, one of the least diverse states in the union. I now live in the most diverse city in Michigan, a city that also claims the largest foreign born population. Troy is a relatively affluent and prosperous city, and the immigrant community contributes greatly to that prosperity. While I enjoyed growing up in Oregon, and may return there some day, I have to say that my life has been enriched greatly by my immigrant friends here in Troy, most of whom hail from Asia or the Middle East. Before coming to Troy, we lived in Santa Barbara, California. My son's high school had a significant Latinx majority. He quite enjoyed that mixture. 

I write this as an introduction to my dismay at today's announcement by the President of his full-throated support of an effort to reduce immigration by 50%, reduce the numbers of refugees admitted, and focus on "merit" rather than family connections. The sponsors of the bill suggest that this needs to be done to support working-class Americans, but is that really the reason for it? Or is something else involved? Much of the anti-immigrant talk has been coupled with expressions of white nationalism, a call to protect "our Judeo-Christian" values, which generally means "Euro-American." Now, I am of European American extraction.I value the legacy of my ancestors, but to value that legacy doesn't mean that the quality of my life will suffer because of the presence of people who hail from Mexico or Guatamala, India or Kenya, Syria or Korea . . .   

What is afoot here? What is the fear being capitalized upon?  All I'll say is this, do you see a connection between this announcement and word that the Justice Department's Civil Rights division is hiring lawyers to pursue litigation against colleges and universities who are perceived to be discriminating against white people?  I don't know about you, but I seem to see signs of a connection.

Here is to hoping that members of Congress will see the light, and do what is right.

Comments

Popular Posts