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The Trouble with the 'We are a Nation of Immigrants' Argument
National Review ^ | 11/19/2015 | Charles C.W. Cooke

Posted on 11/19/2015 7:17:57 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Listen for a few minutes to the raging debate over the fate of the Syrian refugees, and you will hear a familiar phrase rear its weary head: "The United States is a nation of immigrants." This line has two purposes in modern American life. The first is to serve as a dry description of the period between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, during which the United States accepted tens of millions of émigrés looking for a better life. The second is to act as a cudgel in our contemporary immigration debate. Over the past few years, President Obama has proven himself to be especially fond of the phrase. The United States, Obama submits, has "weaved a tradition of welcoming immigrants into the very fabric of who we are"; its people, he argues, "were strangers once, too," and found good neighbors here; this is, above all else, "a nation of immigrants." His conclusion? We should change our current system in exactly the way he desires.

In a purely historical sense, the president and his parrots are correct: The United States does indeed have a long tradition of welcoming outsiders to its shores. But, in the immediate context, one must ask "So what?" The question currently before us is not "Should Americans ever accept new people into their midst?" or "Is immigration a good thing per se?" but "What policy should the United States adopt toward the Syrian refugee crisis?" It cannot be answered merely by appealing to general principles. Unless you're for open borders without checks, you are, by definition, in favor of drawing a line somewhere. And if you're for a drawing a line somewhere, you are, by definition, for some restrictions. Perhaps you are less restrictionist than others. Perhaps you consider yourself to be less "fearful" or less "racist" than those with whom you disagree. Perhaps you think that your policy is the only moral and practical one. Fine, fine, and fine. But you're still a restrictionist; you just covet a different set of restrictions than do some others. Picking a point on the continuum and deciding that it represents timeless American values is little more than folly. Unless you want a complete absence of laws, someone will always be able to out-Nation-of-Immigrants you.

As far as I can see, the questions with which the people of the United States are presently grappling are, 1) Should we take a risk and allow into the country a host of people among whom a few terrorists might be hiding?; 2) If so, how many should we take?; 3) Which criteria should we lay out when deciding who exactly is eligible?; and 4) Which processes should we put in place to screen those who apply? Mawkishly reminding one another that America has played host to a lot of immigrants in the last two centuries does precisely nothing to help us in this endeavor. It's an appeal to emotion, and little else.

That the phrase is so often thrown down as a potential conversation stopper is especially peculiar given that the people of the United States are legally authorized to contrive whatever immigration plan they wish. In the last two hundred years, there have been periods during which there were no immigration laws at all, and periods during which those laws were complex, and even evil. There have been periods during which outsiders flooded in, and periods during which the borders were all but closed. The system has been unpredictable: A Japanese expat heading for California in 1885 would have been welcomed with just an inspection; his grandson, applying in 1933, would have been summarily turned away. Romanticize it as we may, this area is just not as simple as we pretend it is. When a free-speech or Second Amendment advocate notes in absolute terms that this is a nation founded upon certain political precepts, he is correctly reminding his audience that the government is legally allowed to restrict his liberty in only a small number of ways. When an immigration advocate appeals to history, he is doing little more than begging the question.

Ultimately, our present contretemps is the result of two equally important aims coming into conflict. Certainly, there are many Americans who remain instinctively friendly toward those fleeing oppression. The Mayflower, Ellis Island, and the Irish Potato Famine still loom large in the American imagination, as does Emma Lazarus's famous paean to the "masses yearning to breathe free." But there are a host of Americans who are also wary of allowing Europe's problems into their backyard. (This paradox has haunted the question of immigration since the Founding era.)

Put bluntly, Americans do generally want to invite exiles in, but not at the expense of establishing in the United States the conditions that led them to flee in the first place. As Ian Tuttle established convincingly earlier today, it is neither irrational nor unreasonable to worry that a liberal policy toward the Syrian refugees will bring in both a host of deserving outcasts and a smattering of their tormenters. Quite how we attempt to square this circle I am not sure. As so often in American politics, conflicting values have led us to a messy place. But shrieking hysterically about history and attempting to shame the dissenters is not going to cut it this time.

-- Charles C. W. Cooke is a staff writer at National Review.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: aliens; immigration; refugees; syria
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1 posted on 11/19/2015 7:17:57 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

We’re a nation of the descendants of immigrants. There hasn’t been an immigrant in my family for quite some time.


2 posted on 11/19/2015 7:22:53 AM PST by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Immigrants yes.

But this is an invasion force of a global domination group with a standing declaration of war against us !

3 posted on 11/19/2015 7:28:06 AM PST by rawcatslyentist (Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,)
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To: SeekAndFind

We are a nation of descendants of legal immigrants, not illegal immigrants or any who are likely to have terrorists among them.


4 posted on 11/19/2015 7:28:08 AM PST by luvbach1 (We are finished. It will just take a while before everyone realizes it.)
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To: SeekAndFind

A nation of immigrants is one thing. A nation of islamists is something else entirely.


5 posted on 11/19/2015 7:30:14 AM PST by onedoug
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To: SeekAndFind

for later


6 posted on 11/19/2015 7:30:30 AM PST by Don Hernando de Las Casas
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To: SeekAndFind

We are a nation descended for the most part from legal immigrants, and I welcome legal immigrants, subject to the numbers and qualifications set by our elected representatives in Congress. We have far too many criminals in our country already to welcome more criminals, especially illegals whose first act in America is to commit a crime.


7 posted on 11/19/2015 7:30:56 AM PST by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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To: onedoug
We are not a nation of immigrants. 85% of us were born here.

If you carry this stupid expression, nation of immigrants, to its logical conclusion, "What nation is not a nation of immigrants?" Even the so-called Native-Americans came here thousands of years ago across the Siberian land bridge. They are also quote immigrants unquote.

8 posted on 11/19/2015 7:41:36 AM PST by kabar
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To: SeekAndFind

If I hear “That’s not who we are!” one more time as a reason we can’t refuse Muslim invaders, I’m gonna puke.


9 posted on 11/19/2015 7:42:41 AM PST by GnuThere
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To: kabar
Sure, and liberals always say our colonist and immigrants destroyed the Indian way of life. So now more immigrants threaten ‘our’ way of life and liberals will not come to the defense of native born Americans now. Odd turn of events.
10 posted on 11/19/2015 7:55:04 AM PST by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: Theoria

Immigrants vote more than two to one Dem.


11 posted on 11/19/2015 7:58:35 AM PST by kabar
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To: kabar

That is true, nice little farm system they have developed.


12 posted on 11/19/2015 8:01:10 AM PST by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: SeekAndFind

Assimilation is the key. We have generations of people WHO HAVE NEVER ASSIMILATED INTO THE AMERICAN CULTURE.

Check out the maps showing all the Terrorist Training Camps .. THEY’RE ALL OVER THE USA. When are we going to check these places out .. when are we going to find out what these people are really doing.

In the early 2000’s, there was a camp in North Carolina or Virginia; or somewhere in that general area. They had built a huge fence around the place and you could not get access into that camp unless you were already living there. No strangers were allowed in. You were met at the gate with aggressive men carrying weapons.

What ever happened to that place ..??

CA has two groups, one in Northern CA and one just a few miles from me. I see them in my grocery store. They seem to be casing the place; they buy very little; they walk all over the store .. pretending to be looking for something. I keep watching them .. and recently informed the manager (who knows me) and he was very concerned.

I haven’t seen them recently, but I’m always on the lookout for them.

The key is to be aware of your surroundings. It could mean the difference in your survival.


13 posted on 11/19/2015 8:14:07 AM PST by CyberAnt ("The fields are white unto Harvest")
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To: The Final Harvest
The 19th Century immigrants who assimilated, were generally people who were drawn to the culture of the founders, because the values & customs appealed to them--indeed, that was the major reason that they came here. Since the closing of the frontier, and accelerating after the radicalization of our immigration policy in 1965, we have drawn people who came for different motivations. The traditional culture is not congenial to them.

I have tried to answer the fallacy of the Nation Of Immigrants theory. Here was the response to President Bush's promotion of that theory in 2006: Answer to President Bush on Immigration.

This is not to disparage any people on the Earth. It is to emphatically maintain--what should be obvious to any observant person. We are not interchangeable!

14 posted on 11/19/2015 8:30:54 AM PST by Ohioan
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To: Mr Ramsbotham
Actually, we're a nation of citizens. No one else should matter.
15 posted on 11/19/2015 8:31:59 AM PST by glennaro
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To: SeekAndFind
It cannot be answered merely by appealing to general principles.

A rational free society must use general principles in order to successfully achieve its true interests. But the principles have to be true. Whether or not a principle is true depends on the context. The principle that accepting immigrants is good because it is compassionate is not true in a context of immigrants who wish to harm and destroy America.In that case it is unwise, foolish, and irrational because it will have a negative effect on the true interests of America.

16 posted on 11/19/2015 8:39:19 AM PST by mjp ((pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, natural rights, limited government, capitalism}))
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To: Ohioan

I totally agree with you. The people who came here in the early foundations of America .. did so because they WANTED TO BE AMERICANS.

However, the left has maintained a campaign of HATING AMERICA .. and therefore, everyone who has come since then has turned away from accepting becoming an American.


17 posted on 11/19/2015 8:40:28 AM PST by CyberAnt ("The fields are white unto Harvest")
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

And America has always been a Christian, predominantly Euro based-population through at least the 1950’s. As of recent times, we have become, from recent census reports, an increasingly predominantly Hispanic/south American, and mostly Christian population. Our population ethnicities may change, but we should NEVER allow the U.S. to become predominantly non-Christian, especially non-Christian who’s theory is to kill the infidels. Wake up America.


18 posted on 11/19/2015 9:01:51 AM PST by kiltie65
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To: kiltie65

Ooooops, “whose”.


19 posted on 11/19/2015 9:03:18 AM PST by kiltie65
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To: SeekAndFind; 1_Inch_Group; 2sheep; 2Trievers; 3AngelaD; 3pools; 3rdcanyon; 4Freedom; 4ourprogeny; ..
Ping!

Click the keyword Aliens to see more illegal alien, border security, and other related threads.

20 posted on 11/19/2015 9:14:12 AM PST by HiJinx ("Man rides the ocean of history and does what he can to weather its storms.")
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