Immigration has become the norm. What are we going to do about it? For immigrants, immigration is not a choice. It’s life and death. It’s always been that way in the United States. However, as war, climate change and natural disasters continue to destroy living conditions for millions of people, even those in favor of accepting immigrants may fear that it requires a bigger commitment than they are prepared to make. If a public figure adds to that fear by lying about the dangers posed by immigrants, these same people might change their minds about immigration. They might even vote for that public figure, hoping he will protect them from this great danger. I want to challenge the notion that they have to depend on self-serving politicians for information about immigration.
Get the truth from experts in the community
The United States has always taken in immigrants. By this time, we should be willing to fact-check what we are told about them. That’s true, even if we are pro-immigration. But due to the partisan nature of this issue, sources should include experts in the community. Reliable sources would include immigration officials, politicians, immigrant support organizations, and immigrant communities.
Why is this research important? If we believe the things nefarious characters tell us about people we have never seen or talked to without checking to see if they are true, we are completely responsible for those beliefs. We will also be responsible for any actions we take, or fail to take, as a result of those beliefs. And the consequences won’t only affect immigrants. In the case of an election, the consequences to ourselves, our community, and the country may be more serious than we bargained for.
Americans get a lot of things wrong about immigration
That said, some online articles can prepare the way for this kind of research by providing perspective. For example, according to a New York Times article, Americans get a lot of things wrong about immigration. First, there are different definitions of ‘assimilation’.
What do we mean by assimilation?
Does America really work like a melting pot? If we are a nation of various races, religions, and customs, who can say if an outsider fits in? Is fluency in the dominant language the deciding factor? Is it educational or economic success, or knowledge of this country’s history and culture? Or is the deciding factor whether an immigrant gives up all ties to the old country?
Or is assimilation the wrong model? Maybe we should be talking about integration. Integration is more like a salad bowl than a melting pot. All the ingredients are mixed up together but they each keep their distinctive flavor.
Is assimilation about national principles?
Another point of confusion is the question of whether assimilation means agreement with national principles, or national identity. Those who believe assimilation is about national principles stress belief in the Constitution, the rule of law and a strong work ethic, among other principles. They also support legislation to deter any ‘adverse’ cultural customs.
Or is it about identity?
Those who believe assimilation is about identity, like many on the far right, insist that immigrants must abandon all traces of their heritage. A major example would be the hijab. They also pass anti-Shariah measures, even though Muslims only represent one percent of the population in the U.S. and would not be able to impose Shariah law even if they wanted to.
And then there’s undocumented immigration
And those are not the only distinctions that must be made in the immigration debate. Undocumented immigration is often mixed up with the problem of assimilation but it represents different concerns. Concerns about undocumented immigration usually center on competition for jobs or the use of public resources. Concerns about assimilation, on the other hand, are mostly about identity. An example is given in the New York Times article of a man who was worried because immigrant children studied two languages, or their store signs were in an unfamiliar alphabet. Clothing, music and diet are additional assimilation/identity complaints.
Or is assimilation primarily about power?
The author, Leila Lalami, concludes that assimilation is primarily about power. The Moroccan Parliament, for example, never complains if French immigrants eat pork, drink wine or have extramarital sex. And if French people adhere to Moroccan customs, the Moroccans do not call them ‘assimilated’. They say they have ‘gone native’. By contrast, politicians in France complain about identity markers such as food choices and head scarves. Lalami says this makes assimilation more difficult in France.
But contrary to Europe, America has always managed to integrate its immigrants. So why are we arguing about immigration? This article argues that the drama surrounding immigration in the U.S. is largely due to the fact that there is no objective measure of assimilation.
Factors that challenge assimilation and suggestions for helping immigrants
An article by Nhi Huynh, continues on the theme of factors that challenge assimilation and offers suggestions for helping immigrants in this process. At the least, Americans should understand that integration does not happen quickly, although that is often the assumption. And many people are not aware that in order to even get here in the first place, immigrants must wait an unbelievably long time for a visa. The visa wait period itself can last up to 20 years.
Although immigrants come here hoping to be embraced and protected, their values are often ‘despised’ by the majority of American society, especially by the government. And additional hardships stand in the way of assimilation. These included the naturalization procedure, the pressure of adjusting to the new culture, and constant discrimination. On top of these factors, many refugees and migrants are dealing with trauma they experienced in their home country. For these reasons, Nhi Huynh calls for mental health resources and the establishment of open policies.
Nhi Huynh ends the article with an ‘essential question’. “How [can] the U.S. government and we, as a community… help immigrants integrate into a new society by protecting and welcoming them?” Suggestions are provided in the remainder of the article.
We are an individualistic society. Many of us don’t feel like an important part of our own community.
The question of how we can help immigrants is an important but unusual question. Our immigration debates are never about what we can do. At best, they are about government policy and statistics. At worst, they are false narratives promoting fear. The question of a community’s or individual’s responsibility might bring up questions about who and what our communities are, or more importantly, what our communities look like to immigrants. We are an individualistic society. Many of us don’t feel like an important part of our own community. So it goes without saying that we don’t have traditions for how to welcome newcomers. The hospitality traditions of ancient nomadic people discussed in a previous article are a wonderful ideal, but how to they relate to us? The more we think about it, the more questions we might have. For example, don’t immigrants establish communities of their own? What do they need us for? Again, the first step would be to go to people who will tell us the truth about immigration and the needs of immigrants in our area.
The progressive platform includes immigration reform
You might be thinking we have plenty of community organizers and organizations that help immigrants. But the articles cited here suggest there is work that needs to be done by each of us. If the progressive platform includes immigration reform, which it does, and if the government is paying attention to our platform, it stands to reason we are going to get what we asked for. We are going to have more immigrants in our communities. Immigration has become the norm. What are we going to do about it?
What happened to our country? Sweden has been transformed by multiculturalism – Lars Åberg
Contribute to a new editorial project covering migration issues by La Croix International: Bakhita Stories; Read the lates stories here.