Immigration Reduction: Xenophobia and Racism? Or, Common Sense and Pragmatism in a Crowded Nation?
- Kathleene Parker
- September 12, 2023
- Forum Papers
- Forum Paper
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Immigration Reduction: Xenophobia and Racism? Or, Common Sense and Pragmatism in a Crowded Nation?
An NPG Forum Paper
by Kathleene Parker
September 2023
Just ask media and other open-border advocates – although that says a lot about the bias (or agenda) of today’s media – according to them, we have always been a nation that welcomed all immigrants. When that was not the case, from their view, the only possible reasons were racism, sexism, xenophobia and, most particularly, the smug superiority of wealthy white males forging exclusionary policies.
They do not acknowledge the backlashes, the economic and other disruptions, the entire political movements spawned in direct reaction to “waves” of immigrants hitting shores unprepared for them, though apparently, open-border advocates believe immigration should be based solely on a “come one, come all” approach, never mind:
- We’re already the world’s 3rd most populated nation behind only China (which is losing population) and India.
- We stand alongside China and India as a “super-carbon nation,” based on high percapita carbon emissions and large populations. So, how is high immigration “fighting climate change?”1
- Our impoverished inner cities and resident poor are forgotten, as we instead run immigration as a social program for the world.
- Post-World War II, we numbered about 135 million. According to the U.N., we now approach 337 million2, so the unanswered – or unasked – question is: Are we to become a China-like billion people and, if so, because Americans want it or because economic powers do?
Exactly how fast we are growing, since the expiration of Title 42 in May 2023, is lost to the vagaries predominate along our southern border, as we seem more focused on expediting entries than in controlling, counting or limiting entries or, for that matter, limiting drugs (like fentanyl), guns (as we try to regulate them domestically), human trafficking (including children) or whatever else, recently to include two sick lion cubs in New Mexico.
Since Title 42 expired (during COVID, Title 42 limited entries) information is hard to come by or to trust. The same media that, days earlier, predicted surges of millions, now say crossings aren’t nearly as high as expected, though new phone apps given would-be border crossers allow them to go to predesignated ports-of-entry, enter quasi-legally, thus blurring the numbers.
Yet, with Title 42 gone, entries, as they did before Title 42, again come under Title 8, meaning illegal border crossers can be charged with a felony. Yet, there is no indication the Biden Administration will do so.
Even language about immigration has changed. The term “illegal aliens” (as they are referred to in our laws) in the 1990s – in a seemingly concerted media effort – became “undocumented immigrants.” Then both legal and illegal border crossers were relabeled by media as simply “migrants.” That then evolved to “asylum seekers,” never mind that – for those who bother to read our immigration laws – only the two percent who actually meet the definition of refugees in our laws, qualify to enter.3 The changes in nomenclature appear carefully crafted to blur distinctions between legal and illegal border crossers. Meanwhile, Joe and Suzie Public – who believe media – think that no matter how many million arrive, no matter what our laws might say, unless we’re racists or xenophobes, we must welcome them…Continue reading the full Forum paper by clicking here.
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Journalist Kathleene Parker grew up in Durango, Colorado, and is a native of the American Southwest, where her family has lived since 1862. She edited and wrote on energy and environmental topics for a Denver Public Library publication that was circulated to eight states, and more recently, covered Los Alamos National Laboratory and northern New Mexico environmental and timber issues for two major New Mexico dailies. She lives just outside Albuquerque and writes nationally on timber, wildfire, water and population issues, and is an outspoken activist for immigration reduction.
