Donald Trump based his 2016 election on immigration. He demonized the immigrants crossing our southern border, and frightened Americans with that demonization. He is repeating that for the 2024 election.
Trump has called the immigrants "vermin". They aren't. Most are just desperate people escaping repression or abject poverty. They just want to provide a safer and better life for their families.
Trump has said other countries are dumping their worst people on America. The truth is no country is "dumping" anyone. They would love for their citizens to stay and help build their own country.
Trump has said the immigrants will commit crimes once in this country. But the crime rate of immigrants is far below that of American citizens.
Trump claims the immigrants are bringing in drugs (like cocaine and fentanyl). Not true. The immigrants entering on foot cannot carry much and would be much easier to find the drugs by Border Patrol officials. The truth is the drugs are being brought in by trucks, planes, and boats in much larger quantities than immigrants could carry.
Trump doesn't care about the truth though. He just wants immigration to be an issue in the 2024 election. That's why he successfully pressured Republicans to abandon a compromise border bill - a bill that gave Republicans almost everything they wanted, and would have radically improved the situation at the border.
Instead of the lies by Trump, Republicans would be better served by heeding the words of a man they claim to revere - Ronald Reagan. Here is some of what he said in his last speech to the American people:
"Since this is the last speech that I will give as President, I think it's fitting to leave one final thought, an observation about a country which I love. It was stated best in a letter I received not long ago. A man wrote me and said: ``You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.''
Yes, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our heritage, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors. It is that lady who gives us our great and special place in the world. For it's the great life force of each generation of new Americans that guarantees that America's triumph shall continue unsurpassed into the next century and beyond. Other countries may seek to compete with us; but in one vital area, as a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws the people of the world, no country on Earth comes close.
This, I believe, is one of the most important sources of America's greatness. We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people -- our strength -- from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation.While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.
It is bold men and women, yearning for freedom and opportunity, who leave their homelands and come to a new country to start their lives over. They believe in the American dream. And over and over, they make it come true for themselves, for their children, and for others. They give more than they receive. They labor and succeed. And often they are entrepreneurs. But their greatest contribution is more than economic, because they understand in a special way how glorious it is to be an American."
We do need to control our southern border. And we need to revise and update our immigration laws. But we must also recognize that we need the immigrants trying to come to this country. They solve our worker shortage, and benefit our society in many way - including paying billions in taxes.
Demonizing them doesn't help anyone. A sane immigration policy would help everyone.