Before getting into the detail of American immigration policies, it is important to keep several truths in mind – and disregard the untruths.
America is a nation of immigrants. We are one of – if not THE – most immigration-tolerant nations in the world. That is an evidentiary fact. That is why we have such a diverse population that exists overwhelmingly in racial and cultural harmony — with only extreme fringe examples of racism.
White anxiety is a phony issue
Those who claim that the majority of White European Americans oppose all immigration out of fear of losing power to ethnic minorities are advancing false narratives to divide for political gain. That narrative relies on the absurd notion that there is an existential division between Whites of European ancestry and the rest of the world – people of color, as they are currently mislabeled. In reality, most Latinos consider themselves to be White – as do many who come from African nations, such as Arabs, South Africans, and some Asians. According to the census, almost 60 percent of Americans are … White. That is by far the largest racial demographic.
For most Americans, the test of immigration is NOT how a person looks, but what they believe, their skills and their character. There is a difference between a person who comes to America to embrace the basic principles of American exceptionalism and concepts of democracy – in other words, to become an American — and a person who arrives to undermine those values and traditions – to either superimpose or stand apart from traditional American values and governing principles.
America needs immigrants
The second important truth is that America needs — and benefits from – immigration. It is the secret ingredient in the nation’s ability to grow and prosper. The immigration of the most intelligent and skilled workers has been a key factor in America being a world leader in commerce and technology.
The argument — that immigrants take jobs that current citizens need and would take – is patently equally false – and on two levels. We have long had temporary work visas so that foreigners could work in America at jobs that the indigenous population was not willing to take on. That was naturally most obvious in our southern border farming regions. But such temporary or seasonal farm workers from south of the border were also working in states like Michigan and Illinois.
Immigrants create jobs
The second fallacy also relates to immigrants taking jobs – as if the number of jobs is somehow fixed. The assumption that they are taking a limited number of jobs away from citizen workers is invalid. Every migrant worker is both a producer AND a consumer. Growing populations create a need for more goods and services – ergo a growing number of jobs. That is how the economy grows.
America particular needs the highly skilled workers since the American education system is failing at almost every level. There is a reason why Asians generally dominated the top ranks of student achievement – and a reason why so many Asians are involved in the most demanding disciplines – math, science, cyber technology, etc.
We see the problem for the United States in various world education ratings. (I once attended the high school graduation of the daughter of a friend. The school had an International Baccalaureate program for the best and the brightest. Of the ten graduates awarded a Baccalaureate certificate eight were Asians. That was not an outlier. I have seen that same fact as a senior consultant to the boards of education in Chicago and Detroit.)
Some argue that America should put more emphasis on vocational training as opposed to the more demanding technical disciplines. That is only half true. There is need for vocational training as a means to restore America’s industrial base. BUT it cannot be at the cost of the more demanding educational curricula – especially since many of the new blue collar jobs demand technical skills. (If you doubt that, check out auto repairs. That old grease monkey has been replaced with a computer savvy mechanic. Entire factories are run by robots and Artificial Intelligence.)
Without a highly skilled workforce America merely becomes the industrial drone service for the nations that provided progress through research, discovery, creativity, ingenuity, invention and development. Those who produce technological progress will be the world leaders. That has been the strength of America since the start of the Industrial Age.
(I have often opined that one of the critical differences between China and the United States is our ruling classes. Our ruling class are lawyers. In China, the ruling class is composed of engineers. Lawyering tends to retard progress. Slow things down. Create arbitrary liability leading to a litigious society. Engineers invent, design and build new products and advance technology to be commercialized for the benefit of all. It is the reason China has overcome the American lead in critical areas — such as Artificial Intelligence and cyber technology. The terms of the ubiquitous cell phones, I have seen – in many trips to China – that the average Chinese citizen has phones technologically more advanced than American phones. Just one example. The Chinese were using their cell phones for retail purchases decades before that was a widespread practice in America. Whoa! A major digression. Sorry.)
It is the failure of the American education system that has given the best-and-brightest designation to students from other nations. That makes it all the more important that we import the best and brightest from those nations.
The H-1b and H-2b
Sorry if my preamble ran a bit long, but I thought a little background would be enlightening. So, I shall now weave back to the current controversy over H-1Bs and H-2Bs.
America issues a variety of visas for special purposes. They are among the means by which foreigners enter America LEGALLY — to provide visas for highly skilled workers (H-1B) and for unskilled workers (H-2B). These often lead to what is called “permanent status” and eventually citizenship. Other visas are temporary, such as those issued to foreign students and visitors.
There are other means to LEGALLY arrive and stay in America. Folks in war zones or under persecution can request asylum at an American border port of entry or at the American consulate in their country. Those crossing the border may remain in America until their cases are vetted in an immigration court. That is the part of the immigration system that has broken down – and is being abused by the Democrats’ long standing open border policies.
The H-1B and H-2B are the proper and legal means to admit and vet immigrants. That system works fairly well in bringing in the workers America needs to grow and prosper. Vetting is critical because it prevents those from entering the country who are criminals, non-productive and undeserving of asylum. You can see the problem when you understand that more than 80 percent of those illegally crossing the southern border are NOT eligible for asylum – and are not properly vetted. And yet President Biden kicked open the southern border more than any past President.
There is a small percentage of Americans who do not believe in immigration … period. They come from both sides of the political spectrum. They ignorantly believe that every new immigrant takes a job away from an American.
If there is a personification of the extreme anti-immigration position, it is gadfly Steve Bannon. However, his significance as a political influencer has been waning for years – ever since Trump booted him out of the White House early in his first term. Bannon played no role in Trump’s 2024 victory. He played no role in the transition. He will have no role in the Trump White House.
At the moment, the anti-Trump media focuses on a small percentage of MAGA voters who are pushing back at his support for H-1B and H-2B visas – and at the same time ignoring the anti-immigration folks in the Democrat column. The left-wing media is exaggerating and sensationalizing the reality of the MAGA opposition to Trump on immigration. It is not a major revolt against Trump by his base.
There are three things to keep in mind. H-1Bs and H-2Bs are good and necessary. Trump is correct in his support of them. He has the support of the vast majority of his voters in terms of legal immigration policy – and most of the nation. And, more importantly, Trump will not face election again. He can disregard the extreme elements opposed to all immigration just as he has fought against those who have produced the open borders crisis.
In terms of immigration, Trump is spot on. Most Americans agree. It is one of the major reasons why he is moving back into the White House.
So, there ‘tis.