Reflections on Immigration

I am a former high school history teacher and the descendent of immigrants, most of whom arrived before the the American War of Independence. That combination, along with the fact that I am a Christian, makes me allergic to political demagoguery about immigrants. As we approach the midterms elections, such demagoguery is sadly on display. And, sadly, anti-immigrant anxiety and rhetoric is a thread woven into the fabric of American history.

One half of my ancestors (including those named Gunter) came to America from the Isle of Britain before the Revolutionary War. The other half came from various parts of southwest Germany, also before the War of Independence. Many in the American colonies – maybe some of my British ancestors – found the presence of my German ancestors distressing. No less a figure than Benjamin Franklin found their presence problematic:

“Not being used to Liberty, they know not how to make a modest use of it; and . . . seem to think themselves not free, till they can feel their liberty in abusing and insulting their Teachers. . . now they come in droves, and carry all before them, except in one or two Counties; Few of their children in the Country learn English; they import many Books from Germany; and of the six printing houses in the Province, two are entirely German, two half German half English, and but two entirely English; They have one German News-paper, and one half German. Advertisements intended to be general are now printed in Dutch and English; the Signs in our Streets have inscriptions in both languages, and in some places only German.”

To be fair, he was not for “refusing entirely to admit” my ancestors:

“Yet I am not for refusing entirely to admit them into our Colonies: all that seems to be necessary is, to distribute them more equally, mix them with the English, establish English Schools where they are now too thick settled.”

– Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), ‘Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Peter Collinson’ (1753)

Anxiety about newcomers, or, in the case of the indigenous population, the original comers – all who seemed “other” – runs deep in our national DNA. As is the political manipulation of that anxiety. Of course it did not stop with the Germans.

Each of the following were at one time the target of outrageous, slanderous fearmongering and accused of being immoral, prone to criminality, and unassimilable:

• the Irish
• the Roman Catholics
• the Italians
• the Eastern Europeans
• the Chinese
• the Japanese
• the Mexicans
• the Jews
• and, of course, those whose ancestors were kidnapped from Africa and enslaved in America – many of who arrived on these shores before the War of Independence.
• Etc.

And the tradition of anxiety, suspicion, and fearmongering continues with new targets like Haitians, Somalis, Muslims, etc.

But there is another, more generous and hospitable, strain in American history.

George Washington (1732-1799):

“May America be an Asylum to the persecuted of the earth!”

– one of 13 toasts (one for each of the original colonies) given by Washington at a celebration on November 25, 1783 as the last British ship left New York harbor marking the end of the Revolutionary War. Quoted in ‘These Truths: A History of the United States’ by Jill Lepore

“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe & agreeable Asylum to the virtuous & persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”

– George Washington (1732-1799), from a letter to Francis Adrian Van der Kemp, 28 May 1788

A tragic “what if” of American history:

“Working closely with [Secretary of War, Henry] Knox, Washington devised a policy designed to create several sovereign Indian ‘homelands.’ He concurred when Knox insisted that ‘the independent tribes of Indians ought to be considered as foreign nations, not as the subjects of any particular State.’ Treaties with these tribes ought to be regarded as binding contracts sanctioned by the federal government, whose jurisdiction could not be compromised: "Indians being the prior occupants possess the right of the Soil. . . To dispossess them . . . would be a gross violation of the fundamental Laws of Nature and of that distributive Justice which is the glory of a nation.’ A more coercive policy of outright confiscation, Washington believed, would constitute a moral failure that ‘would stain the character of the nation.’ He sought to avoid the outcome – Indian removal – that occurred more than forty years later under Andrew Jackson. Instead, he envisioned multiple sanctuaries under tribal control that would be bypassed by the surging wave of white settlers and whose occupants would gradually, over the course of the next century, become assimilated as full-fledged American citizens.”

– ‘His Excellency: George Washington’ (156) by Joseph J. Ellis

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

“As a nation, we began by declaring that ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it ‘all men are created equal, except negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read ‘all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.’ When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”

– from a letter to his close friend Joshua F. Speed dated August 24, 1855, quoted in ‘Battle Cry of Freedom’ (131) by James McPherson

On the Statue of Liberty

The New Colossus
by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)
 
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945):

“Remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”

– Remarks to the Daughters of the American Revolution. Washington, D.C., April 21, 1938

 Ronald Reagan (1911-2004):

“I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.”

– ‘Farewell Address to the Nation, January 11, 1989’

“Our nation is a nation of immigrants. More than any other country, our strength comes from our own immigrant heritage and our capacity to welcome those from other lands. No free and prosperous nation can by itself accommodate all those who seek a better life or flee persecution. We must share this responsibility with other countries. . .

 
· We shall continue America's tradition as a land that welcomes peoples from other countries. We shall also, with other countries, continue to share in the responsibility of welcoming and resettling those who flee oppression.

· At the same time, we must insure adequate legal authority to establish control over immigration: to enable us, when sudden influxes of foreigners occur, to decide to whom we grant the status of refugee or asylee; to improve our border control; to expedite (consistent with fair procedures and our Constitution) return of those coming here illegally; to strengthen enforcement of our fair labor standards and laws; and to penalize those who would knowingly encourage violation of our laws. The steps we take to further these objectives, however, must also be consistent with our values of individual privacy and freedom. Ties With Canada and Mexico

· We have a special relationship with our closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Our immigration policy should reflect this relationship.

· We must also recognize that both the United States and Mexico have historically benefited from Mexicans obtaining employment in the United States. A number of our states have special labor needs, and we should take these into account.

· Illegal immigrants in considerable numbers have become productive members of our society and are a basic part of our work force. Those who have established equities in the United States should be recognized and accorded legal status. At the same time, in so doing, we must not encourage illegal immigration.

· We shall strive to distribute fairly, among the various localities of this country, the impacts of our national immigration and refugee policy; and we shall improve the capability of those agencies of the Federal Government which deal with these matters.

· We shall seek new ways to integrate refugees into our society without nurturing their dependence on welfare.

· Finally, we recognize that immigration and refugee problems require international solutions; we will seek greater international cooperation in the resettlement of refugees . . .”
– ‘Statement on United States Immigration and Refugee Policy’, July 30, 1981
 
“A few isolated groups in the backwater of American life still hold perverted notions of what America is all about. Recently in some places in the nation there's been a disturbing reoccurrence of bigotry and violence. If I may, from the platform of this organization, known for its tolerance, I would like to address a few remarks to those groups who still adhere to senseless racism and religious prejudice, to those individuals who persist in such hateful behavior.
 
If I were speaking to them instead of to you, I would say to them, ‘You are the ones who are out of step with our society. You are the ones who willfully violate the meaning of the dream that is America. And this country, because of what it stands for, will not stand for your conduct.’ My administration will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who, by violence or intimidation, would attempt to deny Americans their constitutional rights.”
– Remarks in Denver, Colorado, at the Annual Convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, June 29, 1981

Conclusion 

Few of us living in the USA do not have ancestors who were maligned, vilified, made to seem dangerous, made to feel unwelcome, lied about (there were probably some then who knowingly and willfully spread false stories about them to make a point), etc. Demagoguery about immigrants is as old as America. And it continues today. But it has always been wrong. And, as the above quotes show, it has never been the only response.
 
There is a discussion or debate to be had about border policy, immigration policy, welcoming refugees, etc. People of goodwill can disagree about just what the best policies might be. In a democracy that means we gather the best information we can, there is debate, and, usually, some compromise is required – like the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, widely known as the bipartisan Senate border security bill that was proposed in the summer of 2024 but killed for political expediency. It would be wonderful if we could find a way adequately regulate immigration while reclaiming the generous, hospitable vision of those like George Washington and Ronald Reagan.
 
Whatever policies we advocate, advocating for them by misrepresenting and dehumanizing other human beings dehumanizes us. After all, the vast majority of those who come here are simply desirous of security and opportunity for themselves and their families – not unlike my ancestors, and very likely yours.