Immigration
Border policy, DACA, asylum, refugees, and workforce
9 topics“We're a nation of immigrants. Being against immigration is being against what America stands for.”
Nobody serious is against immigration. The debate is about illegal immigration and enforcement of existing laws. America admits over 1 million legal immigrants per year — more than any other country. Supporting legal immigration while opposing illegal entry isn't anti-immigrant.
“Immigrants do the jobs Americans won't do. Without them, produce would rot in the fields and restaurants would close.”
Americans will do any job at the right wage. Cheap illegal labor suppresses wages for low-skilled Americans — disproportionately Black and Hispanic workers. Before mass illegal immigration, those jobs existed and Americans filled them, at better wages.
“Undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes. They contribute more than they take.”
They pay some sales and payroll taxes — roughly $11.7 billion in state and local taxes per year. But the National Academy of Sciences found that each immigrant without a high school diploma costs taxpayers $115,000 more in benefits than they pay in taxes over their lifetime.
“The border wall is just racist. It's a monument to xenophobia and it doesn't even work.”
Israel's border barrier reduced illegal crossings by 99%. Hungary's reduced theirs by 97%. Physical barriers work. Walls aren't racist — 77 countries have border barriers. It's a security tool, not a political statement. Even Obama and Clinton voted for border fencing.
“Separating children from their parents at the border is pure cruelty. It's inhumane and un-American.”
Every parent arrested for any crime is separated from their children — that's how law enforcement works. DHS data shows 30% of migrant children arrive with adults who aren't their parents. Verification protects children from trafficking. The real cruelty is encouraging dangerous journeys.
“DACA kids were brought here as children. This is the only country they know. They're Americans in every way that matters.”
Most conservatives are sympathetic to childhood arrivals and support a legislative path for them. But DACA was an executive action bypassing Congress, and it created an incentive for more families to cross illegally with children. We need a real law, not an executive band-aid.
“Immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. The whole 'criminal immigrant' thing is a racist myth.”
Legal immigrants do have lower crime rates — they're screened and self-selected. But a 2020 study found illegal immigrants in Texas were 150% more likely to be convicted of homicide than legal residents. The distinction between legal and illegal matters enormously.
“Borders are just imaginary lines. We should have open borders and let people move freely.”
No functioning country on Earth has open borders. Open borders with a welfare state is fiscal suicide — Milton Friedman said you can have one or the other but not both. Even the most liberal European countries are now tightening their borders after experiencing the consequences.
“Wanting to restrict immigration is just xenophobia dressed up in policy language. It's about fear of 'the other.'”
The U.S. admits more immigrants than any country on Earth. Wanting a legal, orderly process isn't xenophobia — it's how every nation works. Polls show even most Hispanic Americans support stricter border enforcement. Are they xenophobic too?