Nativists such as Pat Buchanan may say that the current invasions of immigrants “imperil our country and civilization;” however, “true” Americans such as these are coming from an extreme point of view and only seek to alarm and startle people with their ideas. The fact is that some immigrants have a positive influence on America’s prosperity and other immigrants don’t. Certain immigrants move to America simply to be in the country and absorb all the benefits it has to offer. These people do not want to assimilate and wish to retain their own traditions and culture. Although immigrants like these may refuse to become “American,” they still contribute to the American economy through their work and money. Yet, for many immigrants, there is still the desire to assimilate and become a citizen in addition with the immigrants’ contributions to the economy. Therefore, it’s and win-win situation for the U.S. Despite the fact that not all immigrants are beneficial, they were crucial in the formation of this country and continue to be crucial in running it as well. Because America was built on the backs of immigrants and their children, immigrants have never and will never endanger the “American way of life.”
In his book The Death of the West, Pat Buchanan describes a new wave of modern immigration that includes immigrants who refuse to assimilate to American culture and rather only want to take away everything this country has to offer. In many aspects, this idea is valid. The millions of millions of recent Indian, Chinese, and Latin American immigrants retain their culture, traditions, and language much longer than the European immigrants of the past. This refusal to assimilate to the new culture in many ways is a refusal to become an American. Yet, these immigrants in no way harm America, and instead build the foundation for a more diverse country. Looking at the short term effects, Buchanan is correct that this new wave of immigrants has brought many resilient people who challenge the American values and culture. But, more often than not, the second generations of these immigrants are the ones that assimilate and fit in. The children of these immigrants are American-born and are declared American citizens. These kids grow up in the United States school system with other American children. From school and other interactions, this second generation learns and assimilates to become “true” Americans. An excellent example is in how Toula, a second generation Greek, was able to assimilate to American culture over time. Toula became American after her interactions with school and other people. Although they will likely keep some of their values and customs, this is what makes America unique and based on the ideas of freedom. The promotions of public education and mass media in recent history have contributed to the surprisingly quick assimilation of immigrant families. Therefore, for the long-term, this new wave of immigrants will produce another generation of Americans that will continue to fuel American culture, way of life, and economy just like their European predecessors. Nativists are incorrect when they say that immigrants endanger the American way of life because in the end, over the course of a couple generations, the children of these immigrants will assimilate and come to positively affect the American way of life.
The immigrants of the past were also essential to the foundation of the great nation of America. As America was emerging as a national superpower in the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was an extremely large amount of land to occupy. In addition to this widespread need for new citizens was the higher demand in the diverse American economy. The immigrants that came over from Europe were in no way harmful to America because they heavily contributed to the struggling economy and the American need for more people. The waves of immigrants in the late 19th century and early 20th century were significant because their descendants make up a large portion of the American population today. Therefore, the descendents clearly have assimilated and become American over time and now are what embody the American way of life. In this way, immigrants have always been key to America’s survival as a nation.
In a way, the immigration process has become almost identical to the NFL Draft like we talked about in class. With millions of people around the world seeking to move to the U.S., there can only be a specific amount of “entries” that get chosen. The narrow immigration quotas of today allow America to bring in the best and brightest from all over. The most skilled, educated, and experienced foreigners are admitted so they can help ensure that America flourishes. In most situations, America gets the top immigrant “picks” from around the world and thus it is reasonable to say that these immigrants are less likely to harm or endanger America. Also, these immigrants contribute new businesses and students to the U.S.
The major argument for immigrants endangering and harming America involves the 9 or so million illegal immigrants that come into America each year. On the other hand, these illegals make up only a portion of the over 30 million total immigrants to America each year. 10 million is still an extremely large number, but many of the negative speculations about illegal immigrants are false. The truth is that illegal immigrants contribute tax money to America through any purchases, whether spending money on homes, gas, or food. Moreover, over half of all illegals pay federal, state, and local taxes. Overall, illegal immigrants actually contribute over $6 billion in Social Security that goes directly to the American government. Simply through contributions of money to the economy, illegals as well as legal immigrants are very helpful to America.
Just because foreigners have a different religion or culture does not mean they are un-American. Instead, it contributes to the melting pot that is America. For those that say that these immigrants are not assimilating, immigrants are assimilating at some of the fastest rates in history. Immigrants are now smarter and learning English quicker, taking jobs to help stimulate a struggling economy. In 2010, around 500,000 immigrants became naturalized citizens, a process which involves meeting several narrow goals and expectations. It is impossible to say that immigrants of the past or present were detrimental to America because they constantly fuel a nation that could not function without their help.
