When my grandparents emigrated to the US from Germany in 1927 (fleeing the terrible unrest, rioting, crime and hyperinflation in Weimar Republic Germany), nobody conducted surveys to see who was working. If you didn’t work, you starved. Simple as that.
And the Germans, Poles, Italians, Irish et al who got here were DAMN happy to be here, learn English, and become Americans. Not too much of that ethos going around these days.
Exactly. There should be ZERO welfare safety net for first generation immigrants. Many countries require you to put a large sum of money in one of their banks or have proven guaranteed pension income even to take up residence. No way do they let you stay if you can’t support yourself.
The idea that we encourage people who have nothing — no money, no needed skills — to come suck on the teat of government programs is just stupid. Equating these people to the immigrants of last century is disingenuous propaganda on the part of Dims who just want dependents who will vote for bigger government.
I read where the later generations of those immigrants, trying to find their roots, couldn't, because their ancestors didn't want anything to do with the Old Country and didn't keep any records.