The United States of America. The self proclaimed bastion of Freedom and Opportunity. The same country where European Americans massively immigrated to a land hundreds of years ago then inhabited by Native Americans. Native Americans did not have a formal "immigration policy" designed to keep European Americans from becoming settlers. No wall was built on the East coast to ward off the European newcomers. There may have been forced attempts to keep European Americans from becoming "citizens" in the "new" land. But for the most part European Americans were free to enter what was to become the United States of America.
That entry soon turned into a massive takeover of lands previously claimed by Native Americans. Native Americans were uprooted, forced off their property, and diseases spread by European Americans that resulted in numerous deaths to the Native American population. The triple threat of disease, political trickery, and forced removal effectively cleared the way for European Americans to take over what had been Native American territory.
European Americans then found themselves with a massive country to build from the ground up. Cities and transportation systems were developed along with all that was needed to support the European American ideas of civilization. Unable or unwilling to do the hard work needed to build the country into their image, European Americans turned to enslaving free people from the continent of Africa. Forced immigration under the name "slavery" was the European American solution.
During those years of forced slavery, fellow free European Americans continued to flow into the United States. Opportunity for European Americans existed and there was no immigration crisis.
Now we move forward some 500 plus years. As the percentage of people with Hispanic heritage grows in the United States comes the news that we have an "immigration crisis". Our safety is now in danger! A wall on the southern border of the United States needs to be built! The purpose of the wall? To keep "those people" out. Even the President of the United States has declared that we have enough immigrants. Time to close the door.
We all know where the decision came from. It is based in an economic/racially charged emotional decision. People who do not look like European Americans are not wanted by a large segment of the population. Forgotten are the open door policies of the past where people looking for opportunity to prosper and lead a "good" life were welcomed with open arms and few restrictions.
We all know that we are in more danger from the people already in the United States. Few of the mass killings that have occurred in the past years are due to a failed immigration policy. Many of the mass killings were done by European American males who suffered from mental instability or who were just filled with hate. Changing the immigration policy will not stem the number of deaths occurring from domestic terrorist acts, no matter what you are told to the contrary.
Politicians and culture haters have created the immigration crisis. Yes, there may be a need to refine the rules of how and when immigrants can enter the United States. This has been done in the past. But, many politicians have turned the faults in the system into an emotional campaign of fear and hate. Playing to the emotions of people continues to be an effective way to garner and develop emotional hate towards an issue.
Maybe in this coming round of Presidential campaign politics, common sense and respect will rise to the top of the pile of human emotions. There is no immigration crisis. There is a need to refine and reconstruct the administrative system of managing entry into the United States.
European Americans know that they gained all of the wealth they have today based on Native Americans not having the same views that European Americans have today towards "immigrants". Is that why immigration raises such a fear in some circles? Do you fear that what happened to the Native Americans may one day happen to you? Is that why the notion of gun control will never happen? People who fear the unthinkable will always want a means to protect themselves having learned from the policies of the past.
Discussion and action on the issue of immigration must occur now.
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