The truth about immigration


The big lie about immigration, promoted by the GOP and its right-wing propaganda outlets, is that under Biden the US has had “open borders.” LOL! Nowhere close. And the US hasn’t had open borders at least since the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years. The law remained in force until the passage of the Magnuson Act in 1943

So is immigration good or bad for America? In his new book, “The truth about immigration: Why successful societies welcome newcomers,” Zeke Hernandez argues that immigrants bring huge investment:

“They are either magnets of investment from their home country or because immigrants disproportionately start businesses in the US. J. Daniel Kim, assistant professor of management at the Wharton School found that immigrants are 80% more likely to start firms than native-born individuals. This pattern does not affect the size of the business. Also, firms founded by immigrants create jobs at a higher rate than ones founded by natives. Hernandez notes that immigrants are job creators and play outsized roles in US high growth entrepreneurship. The Society for Human Resource Management discovered that 101 of the year’s Fortune 500 companies were established by first generation immigrants. Hernandez remarks that the “triangle of immigration, investment, and jobs” is one of the greatest untold stories of immigration.”

Contrary to Trump’s repeated lies, immigrants commit *fewer* crimes than natives. Between 1870 and 2020, immigrants in the US have always had a lower rate of imprisonment compared to natives. 

Immigrants have been good for the American economy and good for American society. Americans should reject the vilifying of immigrants practiced by Trump and his supporters and support reasonable and rational policies. A bipartisan bill was crafted in Congress to do just that, but Trump convinced his cronies to tank the bill because it would give the Biden Administration a win and hurt his election chances in November. Here’s hoping for a Harris/Walz administration in January 2025 and the beginning of progress in sensible, humane and economically healthy immigration policies.

https://www.juancole.com/2024/08/immigration-successful-societies.html

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