Refueling America with immigrants

Immigrants make a great birthday present
Fairfield Daily Republic | July 05, 2012
By Kelvin Wade


President Obama’s recent decision to grant temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants brought here as children raised condemnation from his usual right-wing critics but a new Bloomberg poll finds 64 percent of likely voters approve of the policy shift. Illegal immigration has always been a hot-button issue, but it’s more so now, given the unprecedented changes going on in this country.

I’ve long suspected that when some people shout about “taking their country back” and “real America,” what they’re really referring to is the changing demographics. America elected a half African-American president with less than half of the white vote. Earlier this year, for the first time ever, whites made up less than half of all births. It’s the latest reminder that before the middle of this century, the U.S. will be majority-minority.

Just like California. Just like Fairfield, for that matter. And that scares the heck out of a lot of people.

That’s not to say that folks are necessarily racist. It reflects some people’s fears that the language, culture and traditions of the America they grew up in may change. But we may find that it strengthens America, not weakens us.

Already, non-citizens are an important part of our military. Between 1999 and 2010, 80,000 non-citizens served in our armed forces. A new Pentagon report highlights that non-citizen military recruits bring languages and cultural skills that native-born citizens don’t possess.

It says a lot about how someone views this country that they would swear to defend it when they aren’t even a legal stakeholder. It reminds me of my dad joining the Navy at a time when he couldn’t even use public facilities designated for whites only. It takes a strong belief in America’s promise.

We may not want to hear this, but a Pentagon-commissioned study by the Center for Naval Analysis says non-citizen recruits “generally have a stronger attachment to serving the United States” and “have a better work ethic” than native-born recruits. And non-citizen recruits drop out of the military half as often as native-born citizens.

In addition, the Pew Research Center released a major study about Asian-Americans a couple of weeks ago. Asians make up the fastest growing minority in the country with three out of four Asians in America being foreign-born. They are better educated, make more money and are more content with the direction of the country than any other racial group.

Their attitudes are amazing. Fifty-four percent of Asian-Americans say having a good marriage is one of the most important things in life while only 34 percent of other Americans say that. While 67 percent of Asian-Americans also say being a good parent is important, only 50 percent of the rest of Americans agree. And while 69 percent believe you can get ahead if you work hard, only 58 percent of the American public as a whole agrees.

U.S. Asians believe the United States offers better political and religious freedom and superior treatment of the poor than their countries of origin. In fact, they rated America superior in all categories except one: strength of family ties. That one wasn’t even close.

Hard economic times tend to bring out people’s xenophobia. Many are genuinely afraid that a wave of non-white immigrants won’t assimilate and we’ll lose our American identity. But when you look at what immigrants believe about this country and how they serve this country, it’s quintessential American. We could learn a lot from them.

This week our nation, a nation of immigrants, celebrated our 236th birthday. We take in more than a million legal immigrants a year, which is far more than any other country. Those, coupled with the undocumented children who grow up here and are loyal to America, far from being our downfall, just might be our saving grace. Peace.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES: Everyone is sooo hypersensitive to being called a racist these days. I don't toss around that word because it doesn't get us anywhere. And it's not the point of this column at all. I do talk about the anxiety in the country by huge demographic shifts as well as large cultural shifts. Change causes anxiety. And this country is going through big changes.

My little brother moved to California from Virginia when he was five. I doubt he has very many solid memories of living in Virginia. What if California authorities came to him and said, "Sorry, but your parents entered California illegally in 1975 and we have to send you back to Virginia " Who would that serve? Scott doesn't know anyone in VA. He doesn't know how to get around. No friends or family. Never mind that he's been working and paying taxes in California with no criminal record or anything. That's why the President's move makes sense. (Incidentally, Scott lives in Canada and has for many years. I'm just trying to make a point. LOL)

Someone who comes here and serves in our military, that's an American. But that's not the only way to serve America. Someone who comes here and becomes a doctor and works in their community, we should encourage that person to stay. By the same token, we have to have a closed border and work hard sending people back who are undesirables. That's what the administration has done. We've been cleaning out our jails of illegal immigrants and deporting them and that should continue. I'm not saying we don't deport adults we find sneaking into the country. Of course we do. But for the productive adults who were brought here as children? Let's make it so they can earn their citizenship. Jump through hoops. Pay fines. Whatever.

It may hurt our pride to say but immigrants often appear to be more dedicated to America than us natural born citizens. And if America crumbles, it won't be because of people who want to come here for opportunity. It'll crumble from Americans who don't want to compromise, who don't understand our history and who are ignorant.