immigration

Like It or Not, People From “Shithole Countries” Created the United States

By / , , /

The people on the Mayflower were lower middle class, and largely British. Which means they were lower middle-class arrivals from a country that was very poor. As Niall Ferguson wrote in his 2004 book Empire, the England of the 17th century was far, far from the one of the 19th century. While economic measures are powerfully flawed on their […]

Like It or Not, People From “Shithole Countries” Created the United States Read More »

More Than Any Ideology, Conservatives Should Revere Immigrants

By / , , /

Immigrants will do work that Americans won’t. That’s what defenders and critics of immigration say. Which means even defenders miss what is arguably the bigger, more pertinent positive about immigrants: they’ll travel long distances frequently by foot, to do work that Americans won’t do. The lengths gone to by immigrants to find work stateside

More Than Any Ideology, Conservatives Should Revere Immigrants Read More »

Is the U.S.’s Reputation (and Its Economy) Worth the Deportations?

By / , , /

“I need my papa!” That’s what a five-year old Mexican child said to her mother, according to the Washington Post. Her father had been deported. How to explain to a small child why your father isn’t around, and why you may not be seeing him for a long while?  Some will not unreasonably say “I need my

Is the U.S.’s Reputation (and Its Economy) Worth the Deportations? Read More »

An Unrivaled American Work Ethic Is a Powerful Immigrant Magnet

By / , , /

An insatiable American work ethic is what attracts immigrants to the United States. So, when Americans lament the arrival of would-be workers, they’re in a very real sense yelling at themselves. Work begets work. The excellent Barton Swaim has written in various ways that what turned the 2024 presidential election was electorate unhappiness on

An Unrivaled American Work Ethic Is a Powerful Immigrant Magnet Read More »

If Immigrants Imported Failure, Then They Wouldn’t Be Immigrants

By / , /

Immigrants, particularly immigrants from what President Trump has described as “Sthole Countries,” are rejecting those “Stholes.” That’s why they’re immigrants. Yet it’s long been the norm to assume otherwise. Consider 19th century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Describing existing and would-be Irish immigrants, he thundered about how “They hate our free and fertile isle.

If Immigrants Imported Failure, Then They Wouldn’t Be Immigrants Read More »

David Bier Is Correct About Immigrants, Incorrect That They Lower Debt

By / , , /

The minute immigrants touch land in the United States, their economic value soars. That’s because the workers, machinery and training that they get to match their talents with in the U.S. well exceeds what was previously available to them. Only for the immigration story to get even better.  U.S. Immigrants are abnormal, in a

David Bier Is Correct About Immigrants, Incorrect That They Lower Debt Read More »

Regardless of Your Stance, the “Border” Insults the Immigration Discussion

By / , /

If “the border” informs your thoughts about immigration, then your mind is wandering. Seriously, how often have you crossed the border (on foot, no less) to go to work in or visit any other city, state, or country? Which is why the immigration debate is so ridiculous and sad. Some in the debate are

Regardless of Your Stance, the “Border” Insults the Immigration Discussion Read More »

If Border Closure Is Such Great Politics, What Happened On 11/4?

By / , , /

Deportations and border closures were political losers for President Trump and the Republicans. That’s because voters vote their pocketbooks. More than a few who read this opinion piece’s opening will disagree with its assessment, as will pundits seemingly. Right or left, they seem to monolithically believe that President Biden’s failure to secure the border

If Border Closure Is Such Great Politics, What Happened On 11/4? Read More »

Trump Can Have Booming Growth or Deportations, Not Both

By / , , /

People drive economic growth. Which means President Trump’s problem isn’t the Fed, it’s his own administration’s deportations. Trump wants economic growth, but he doesn’t want the people who make growth abundant. Which is just a comment that whatever one’s opinion on immigration, a lack of it combined with aggressive ICE attempts to arrest and

Trump Can Have Booming Growth or Deportations, Not Both Read More »

To Empty the U.S.’s Borders, Legalize the Arrival of Workers

By / , , /

“Up north is where we’ve gotten the money for everything – to build houses, to take care of families, to sow in the fields. If they don’t send money, the town stops.” Those are the words of Rosa Gomez Hernandez, a 37-year-old resident of Mexican town San Bartolome Quialana, and whose ability to live

To Empty the U.S.’s Borders, Legalize the Arrival of Workers Read More »

Scroll to Top