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The truth about immigration that the left chooses to ignore

Online Niel November 15, 2024

Conservatives know that when The American Left wants us to “have a conversation” about an issue, means they will talk endlessly until we agree with them.

To the progressivesthere is one approved view of a particular issue and all others are atavistic throwbacks to an era before “progress”.

Notice that humans (and all mammals) come in two genders and you are a “transphobe”.

Suggesting that it’s unfair for men to compete with women in sports and unsafe for men to share prison cells with women is “hate speech.”

It states that America is about equal chancesthey are not equal results and I support merit on discrimination based on race and sex, and you are racist and misogynistic.

You argue against mass illegal immigration and you are xenophobic at best, racist at worst.

The Washington Post recently published an opinion piece piece by David Bier of the Cato Institute. Bier and I have appeared together several times on talks, so I know his views.

Bier is a libertarian. He believes that immigration should only be constrained by supply and demand, not limited by government. Where there is an employer and a willing employee, he argues, who are we to intervene? To support this point, Bier also argues that immigrants make a net contribution to the US economy and that they commit less crime.

My view—shaped by a career as a diplomat in developing countries—is that world demand for the American way of life exceeds any possible supply, so we need numerical and other limits. It is the prerogative of Congress to set these parameters by law. And it is the president’s constitutional duty to enforce these laws, not ignore them or circumvent them by executive order.

Bier and I agree on a few things; first, that open borders cannot long coexist with a welfare state that provides every newcomer with free healthcare, education, housing and income. Second, we agree that regardless of boundaries, criminal aliens should be kept out and removed.

Bier is not a leftist, but he agrees with them on immigration, so his argument is acceptable to The Washington Post. My opinion – which opposes illegal mass migration – never darkens the pages of the publication (her choice, not mine).

If the Post really wanted to have a “conversation” instead of a weekly lecture in the echo chamber of its readers, I would make the following counterpoints.

First, the left often says that “studies show” that immigrants commit fewer crimes than natives. The main rebuttal here is that unlike crimes committed by Americans or legal residents, any crime committed by an illegal alien is preventable.

But there are also other research to show that in fact illegal immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than legal immigrants or natives. When the Left cites its numbers, it says “immigrants” and deliberately lumps together both legal and illegal immigrants, when the real issue being discussed is primarily about illegal immigrants. It is by no means proven that illegal immigrants commit fewer crimes than those who live legally in the United States. Research on the topic is limited by bias and poor data.

Recent City Journal reported that we’re not just “imagining a wave of migrant crime” with problems from drug trafficking to shoplifting — linked to the Biden-era migrant surge — rising even in remote parts of the country.

Second, as to whether immigration is an economic benefit to the country, I would point out that illegal immigrants are generally less qualified than US-born workers, with only 30% educated beyond high school. Among American households headed by illegal immigrants, 59 percent use at least one welfare program. Over the course of a lifetime, the average illegal immigrant takes about $68,000 more in benefits than he paid in.

Daniel Di Martino of the Manhattan Institute appraisal that the millions of illegal immigrants and parolees who entered under the Biden administration will cost taxpayers an estimated $1.15 trillion over their lifetimes. While young, educated immigrants reduce the U.S. budget deficit, “those without a college degree and all those immigrating to the U.S. after age 55 generally represent a net tax burden of up to $400,000” each over their lifetime .

Also, the immigration of low-skilled workers reduce the wages of many US-born workers. Economist of the EJ Antoni Heritage Foundation write that between 4.9 million and 7.3 million employed Americans left the labor market during COVID-19 and never returned. Meanwhile, “all of the net job growth over the past year went to foreign-born workers,” while “native-born Americans lost more than 900,000 jobs.”

Harvard economist George Borjas he wrote in 2016, that “decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment … especially for African-American and Latino workers.” He says that “immigration turns out to be just another income redistribution program,” concluding that “the total redistribution of wealth from native losers (low-skilled workers) to native winners (employers and shareholders) is . . . half a trillion dollars. a year.”

These are only financial costs. I could also discuss the social costs for cities like CharleroiPennsylvania; LocklandOhio; and LogansportIndiana, where schools, housing, police and other services faced a sudden influx of indigent migrants thanks to federal policies in which these communities had no say.

But the Post, just like the other old newspapers that are losing market share along with the trust of the American people, does not really want to have a “conversation” on this topic. His mind invented.

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos chose not to endorse Kamala Harris for president in the recent election — to the outrage of virtually his entire staff and about 250,000 subscribers who canceled their subscriptions.

I canceled my print copy a long time ago, but it might come back if the paper makes an effort to rebalance its coverage. Apparently Bezos was incentive to hire some conservative opinion writers to add perspective. Other left-leaning media outlets are also looking to add conservatives to help their readers and viewers understand what more than half the country thinks.

So Jeff, sign me up. I promise to deliver 800 words a week for half of what you pay conservative Jennifer Rubin to reliably bash Joe Biden and Harrisand defame Donald Trump. I’ll go down to the bunker where we Tories live to talk to the rest of them”RUBBISH” while eating My Patriot Supply emergency preparedness meals and drinking Black Rifle coffee, then tell your readers what “deplorable” think about the problems.

But I’m afraid the legacy media ship has sailed. Abandoned by conservatives, such media outlets are now losing leftists for not being far-left enough. Anyone who studied the Chinese, French or Russian revolutions could have told them this day would come. Too bad they had no idea.

The border line is a weekly Daily Signal feature that examines everything from the unprecedented illegal immigration the border crisis to the impact of immigration on cities and states across the country. We will also shed light on other critical border issues such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, terrorism and more.