LKM On The National Immigration Issue

There can be no doubt that immigration from various countries of the world has enriched the cultural fabric of the United States of America. Some people say the racial and cultural diversity associated with immigration makes socio-political conflict inevitable, but the history of both America and other nations proves that war and conflict did occur even when their racial composition was more-or-less homogenous. In the American Civil War, for example, men of more-or-less similar racial background from both North and South engaged each other in horrific mortal conflict. It was after that dark chapter in American history came to an end, that immigration to the United States from foreign countries began in earnest.

Associated with the immigration issue is the problem of cultural assimilation, i.e. assimilation on whose terms? What shall be the cultural, spiritual and moral values of the emerging immigrant society? There is often conflict in this arena between those whose ancestral families have also lived in America for several generations, and newly-arrived foreign immigrants. It is to be admitted that the former group has a sense of ownership of the land not possessed by the latter, simply because men's historic roots are meaningful to them. Furthermore, people coming to America from foreign countries still retain in their hearts at least a latent loyalty to their former homeland, of which the native-born American is completely incapable. Many immigrants seek not a completely new life in America, but rather, a replication of their Old World habits and customs in a new physical land. With the presence of a multiplicity of nations in America, the national challenge will be to come to a common concensus of values, with which everyone can comfortably live.

The problem of illegal immigration is especially difficult. America was founded on the proposition of equal justice under law, a blind and impartial law, not recognizing distinctions of such considerations as race, sex, religion, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Amnesty for illegal immigrants threatens to destroy this notion and turn us back to an arbitrary government of men, rather than one controlled by the rule of impartial law. Most foreigners come to America from countries whose social and political institutions do not understand this concept, so it will be a major task, to persuade the new immigrants of the notion of constitutionalism, i.e. explicitly ordered government with precisely-enumerated powers and authorities.

Granting that America's core populace, i.e. those descended from the Pilgrims and the Puritans, is not completely without sins and vices of its own, the fact of increased crime and the cost it brings to America, from certain immigrant nationalities, cannot be denied or ignored in the name of political correctness. A visit to our nation's prisons would convince the most casual and impartial of observers that some ethnic groups of people are more inclined towards criminal and other anti-social behaviour than are other ethnic groups. Members of certain racial and nationality groups frequently populate American jails, while members of certain other racial and nationality groups almost never do. A serious study of this disparity and its causes is long overdue. All immigrant groups which came to America after the core populace settled here, initially came to America economically poor, linguistically challenged, culturally disadvantaged and often victimized in their new land by racial discrimination from earlier nationality groups of immigrants. Still today, there is considerable disparity of outcome between the different immigrant groups, after a century and half of being here, in terms of being societal successes or failures.

The 1970s and 1980s world of TV featured a very popular program called All In The Family, depicting the life of a socially-dysfunctional and all-too-typical lower middle-class "red-neck" American family. It very strongly resonated with millions of Americans, while deeply offending millions more. In both cases, the reason for strong emotional reaction is identical: IT HIT HOME WITH VIEWERS! Many more people are deeply offended and hurt by truth, than they are by lies. But a casual observation of various peoples all over the world will reveal a certain amount of "Archie Bunker" personality in everyone. Reconcilliation of nationality and race differences in America will thus be a major task, to which all Americans must be committed. Cultural sensitivity and appreciation must be a two-way street, not just a one-way street only.

Can a new-comer to America from a foreign land ever be "one of us"? This is certainly possible, but it would entail full understanding of who "us" is, and of the full range of sacrifices and modifications necessary for the foreign immigrant to reach that goal.

-Lawrence K. Marsh