On May 14, 1938, Lotte Dreyfuss, 17, a Jewish refugee traveling alone from Nazi Germany, stood on a ship’s deck in New York harbor greeted by the Statue of Liberty. That was my mother. Her subsequent 83 years were a blessing for America.
Today’s hate-filled Republican demonization of migrants and asylum seekers is dishonest, disgraceful, and disgusting.
All the stuff about countries “sending” their worst, emptying jails and insane asylums — vicious nonsense. They don’t “send” anyone — people choose to come. What grit, drive, and strength of character it takes to leave behind everything familiar, for an uncertain journey, often full of danger. Such courageous, determined people have always been assets to America. I want them here.
Indeed, we desperately need them, to replenish a workforce reduced by growing ranks of retirees. Immigration is a key reason for greater U.S. economic dynamism compared to other countries less receptive to newcomers. Trump’s promise to deport millions — decimating our workforce — is economic lunacy. Inflation would explode as employers struggle to replace them.
Then there are all the lies about migrants bringing drugs. Fact: the drug amounts found by border patrols on migrants they intercept are practically zero. Drugs are overwhelmingly smuggled by different pathways; most brought in by U.S. citizens.
And Republicans, this spring, were handed on a platter everything they’d been screaming for to control our border — but refused it because Trump wanted not a solution but a problem to keep demagoguing about.
His latest fearmongering trope is “migrant crime.” (“Biden migrant crime,” he says, or “Bigrant crime.”) Equally mendacious. Statistics are clear that migrants commit, on average, rather fewer crimes than the native born. Unsurprising because the consequences for non-citizens are apt to be far more severe.
Fox News recently broadcast 66 times a video supposedly showing migrants on some sort of violent rampage in New York City. Careful analysis on John Oliver’s show revealed that the scene was completely misrepresented; the only trouble there actually caused by a cop acting out brutally.
Another Fox video depicted “Guardian Angels” group members proudly crowing they’d just beaten up a shoplifting migrant in Times Square. Turns out the guy committed no crime but was merely trying to get through the crowd. And was no migrant.
The big “migrant crime” lie is a subset of an even bigger one. These “law and order” Republicans (who lionize the January 6 rioters, block all rational gun regulation, and whose candidate is a convicted felon) paint a picture of U.S. crime soaring out of control. A picture to make surrealist artists blush. Fact: crime of all sorts throughout America has been falling substantially for years. Crime rates today, under President Biden, are markedly lower than during Trump’s term.
But cynical dishonesty is the core ethos of his Republican party.
President Biden’s age, and other concerns, previously gave some voters pretexts for accepting Trump. Biden’s standing down removes those pretexts. Now there’s no excuse for winking at Trumpism’s moral sinkhole.
Vice President Harris is a child of immigrants. Another was the 1988 nominee, and to celebrate his origins, when he rose for his national convention speech, the music played was Neil Diamond’s They’re Coming to America. The country was different then. Democrats should nevertheless play the song again when Kamala Harris ascends that stage. Be gutsy. Give haters a jab in the eye.
It is one of my very favorite songs. And every time I hear it, I see young Lotte Dreyfuss on the deck of that ship.
