Free Republic

The era of open bowls and borders is over. Those who arrived under fraudulent pretenses who sneer at the country that feeds them are out. Those who came here to undermine America instead of join it, out. Those who treat our generosity like weakness, out. Those who believe they can live in the American household without contributing to it, are out. This isn’t cruelty. It’s stewardship.

There’s a particular kind of innocence in believing that generosity will be recognized for what it is. A nation opens its doors, offers a warm meal, provides a safe bed, and assumes the visitor understands the privilege. For decades, America set out the banquet, refilled the bowls, and quietly told itself that this time, surely, the guests would take only what they needed. But people who are constantly fed start to forget who stocked the pantry. They come back with friends. Then relatives. Then demands. And the hosts, too polite to object, keep ladling stew while pretending not to notice...

There’s a particular kind of innocence in believing that generosity will be recognized for what it is. A nation opens its doors, offers a warm meal, provides a safe bed, and assumes the visitor understands the privilege. For decades, America set out the banquet, refilled the bowls, and quietly told itself that this time, surely, the guests would take only what they needed. But people who are constantly fed start to forget who stocked the pantry. They come back with friends. Then relatives. Then demands. And the hosts, too polite to object, keep ladling stew while pretending not to notice...