There’s a ridiculous claim by conservatives about immigration that is usually described to me as not being against immigration, but instead being against illegal immigration. When you ask why these same conservatives don’t favor loosening up immigration restrictions so that it’s easier to legally immigrate into the United States they pivot to nativistic “America-first” diatribes.
The fact of the matter is that modern conservatives are blatantly anti-immigrant.
This week, an ICE statement declared it illegal for foreign students whose schools operate online to remain in the country. In April, Trump put a suspension on all green card requests for those who aren’t medical providers. Yet another proclamation extended these restrictions: H1B visas for tech workers, H2B’s for low-skill workers, J student visas, spousal visas, and even L visas, which allow for intercompany transfers of workers already here, have all been suspended through the end of the year.
The White House even wants to bar those here on asylum from working, instead suggesting they get familiar with homeless shelters. That is, immigrants both abroad and already living in the U.S. have been put on hold regarding their residency—a move that was pushed for months by anti-immigration hawks.
Still, some might claim this shows nothing, that my assertion is an overgeneralization, and indeed an unfair account of what most conservatives actually believe.
But I think that’s bogus—and so too, it would seem, does the Anti-Defamation League, who recently released a report highlighting the anti-immigrant fervor in the United States. In the executive summary of the report, numerous bullet points highlight evidence to the fact that it’s largely the result of conservatives that this fervor arose.
Consider groups such as the Federation for Immigrant Reform, known by their misleading acronym FAIR. They, according to their own website, aim to reduce immigration—both legal and illegal—to a “normal level.”
What they mean by normal I can’t hazard a guess, but they claim that this reduction is all in an effort to “maintain a high quality of life”—a claim that suggests immigrants are preventing that level of high quality. The SPLC has classified them as a hate group, I suspect, because of these types of suggestions.
What’s more striking is that a number of individuals in key positions throughout the Trump administration have close ties to this organization. For example, the former executive director of FAIR, Julie Kirchner, is currently the ombudsman for the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS). She was formerly in a position with Customs and Border Protection. The head of USCIS, John Zadronzy, served as legislative counsel for FAIR.
And of course there’s Stephen Miller’s uniquely abhorrent influence. He has both led policies that directly targeted immigrant workers and even suppressed studies that showed the favorable impact of immigrants and refugees on the U.S. economy. And beyond his rapport with white nationalists, he has been a hardliner for punishing immigrants and separating children from families at the border.
The list goes on.
And this is all without mentioning what conservative media have to say about immigrants.
Laura Ingrahm has often likened immigration to a modern invasion of the United States–so too has the president and his team. Todd Starnes has echoed this sentiment. Tomi Lauren has questioned the legitimacy of asylum seekers, claiming it’s just a way for immigrants to come here illegally. Lou Dobbs warned that immigrants could “consign tens of thousands, perhaps millions of Americans” to their death. Mark Levin and former USCIS director Tom Hoffman surmised immigration is a tool for a left-wing takeover through illegal voting. And often, the chorus of conservative media claim immigrants are bringing violent crime such as murder and rape.
Still, what do conservative activist groups have to say about the issue?
Charlie Kirk, the founding president of Turning Point USA, has opined about immigration driving down wages and the “systemic fraud” pushed by those with student visas. He has called for building the wall, making English the official national language, and reducing overall immigration numbers, as immigrants have become too politically lucrative for left-wing candidates.
And at the inaugural National Conservative Conference last year—which hosted everyone from John Bolton to Tucker Carlson —there was a panel on immigration in which University of Pennsylvania Law professor Amy Wax argued for the bigoted position of the national conservative. Namely, that if the U.S. is to take in immigrants, the country should take the position that it “will be better off with more whites and fewer nonwhites.”
So it seems in nearly all areas of today’s conservatism—political administrations, media figures, and activism—the anti-immigrant bug has crept in.
It’s worth emphasizing that these views are absurd and wildly misinformed.
First, some basic facts about immigrants in the United States. Immigrants make up approximately 14 percent of the total population (about 44 million people), yet constitute 30 percent of all new business owners each year. Perhaps even more striking, nearly half of all the companies on the Fortune 500 were founded by immigrants. So much for bringing violent crime—instead immigrants bring innovation.