If we Americans fail to quickly and systematically deport every “migrant” who came to this country illegally during the past ten years, we will no longer be free citizens in our own country. If we are too ignorant, greedy, and cowardly to do this, do we and our children deserve to live as free citizens in our own country?
Very few Americans, not even most well-informed conservatives, understand our immigration laws, or why we have them. Here are 10 key facts:
- America did not have any limits on how many people could come to this country until 1882. We had no immigration limits when we were English colonies. We had none during our first hundred years of independence. There were many reasons for this. America was almost empty and there was plenty of room for everyone. There were “boundless opportunities” for anyone willing to work. Anyone who wanted to own a farm could find cheap land and cheap credit to buy one. Any immigrant with a skill or willing to work as an apprentice or indentured servant to learn a skill could enjoy a comfortable life in just a few years. The number of immigrants to America was small. Not very many were willing to make the long, uncomfortable, and dangerous trip on a small, wooden sailing ships. Finally, most people who came to America quickly learned English, and embraced the American way of life. Within a few years it was difficult to see any differences between immigrants and native born Americans.
- After the Civil War, everything changed. Massive, uncontrolled immigration was no longer sustainable. The frontier was closing. Good farm land close to markets was no longer cheap and unlimited. Large, fast steamships brought millions of foreigners to America each year. Many immigrants settled in big cities that were overcrowded. There were often too many workers for too few jobs. This kept wages low. Many families had to have their young children work to earn enough money. Many of the problems later blamed on “unfettered capitalism” were really caused by unlimited immigration. Many immigrants did not learn English and did not embrace the American way of life. Many joined radical socialist political movements seeking to overthrow the American system. As a result, many Americans demanded limits on immigration.
- America first put limits on immigration in 1882. They began with the Chinese Exclusion Acts. These laws stopped all immigration from China for twenty years.
- For some forty years, from 1880 to 1920, Americans were bitterly divided over whether or not to stop or limit immigration. At the time, the newly formed labor union movement demanded strict limits on immigration. They correctly claimed that massive, unlimited immigration brought low wages, poverty, and political violence to America. Big corporations and business owners opposed limits on immigration. They wanted low wages and a supply of workers eager to work for them. This political argument was very intense. It closely resembled the political conflict over immigration we see in America today.
- That national conflict over immigration was settled in 1914. That was when World War One began in Europe. The British and French navies blocked most ships coming from countries controlled by the German, Turkish and Austro-Hungarian Empires. German submarines stopped most ships coming from England, Ireland, and Russia. Although the war ended in November of 1918, the influenza epidemic stopped most travel for another full year. As a result, there was basically no immigration to America for five years. This created an unprecedent economic boom in America. There were shortages of workers and wages increased. Good jobs with good wages persuaded millions of Black Americans to leave poverty and discrimination in the Jim Crow South run by the Democratic Party. They moved to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and other cities in the North. This was called “The Great Migration”. There, Black Americans enjoyed the same American Dream as previous immigrants. Factory owners invested in new machines and equipment to make each worker more productive. By 1920, American workers were the best paid and most productive workers in the world. The “exceptional” American middle class and its American Dream” were created.
- After World War One, Democrats and Republicans alike finally agreed to limits on immigration. The new law provided for only roughly 100,000 foreigners to legally enter America each year. Those limits were strictly enforced. American prosperity continued through the 1920’s. Americans continued to be the best paid and most productive workers in the world. Labor Unions had nothing to do with this. During the 1920’s, labor unions in America were weak, unpopular, and insignificant.
- Because of limits on immigration, Americans remained the best paid, best fed, best housed, and most productive people in the world–even during the Great Depression!
- Jews were kept out of America during the Holocaust because President Franklin Roosevelt’s top immigration officials hated Jews–not because of immigration quotas. In 1933, the Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi) Party gained absolute power in Germany. Between 1938 and 1943, Nazi Germany took control of most of Europe. During this time, Jews who lived under Nazi occupation were persecuted, arrested, and murdered. Many tried to flee to America. Most were denied entry. However, this was not because of America’s limits on immigration. During the early years of the Nazi persecution of Jews, America’s quotas for countries Jews were trying to escape from had not been filled. However, Jews were denied entry to America anyway because Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt had appointed notorious anti-Semites to run the State Department.
- From 1920 to 1965, America’s immigration limits were a complete success. Immigrants and their children quickly learned English and assimilated. They quickly found good jobs and became productive citizens. Because of this, immigrants were readily accepted by Americans already living here.
- In 1965, America completely got rid of immigration laws that gave us Liberty and Prosperity for 45 years. Communists wanted to make America weak, divided and poor. Democrats wanted blocks of voters who were poor and dependent on government and the Democratic Party. . At that time, Democrat Lyndon Johnson was President, Democrats had super-majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Democrat Ted Kennedy was one of the most influential members of the Senate. Most Americans know that these Democrats created massive spending programs called the “Great Society” to greatly expand the welfare state. However, few people known that Senator Ted Kennedy pushed through radical changes to our immigration laws. Legal immigration was increased from 100,000 per year to more than 1,100,000. Immigrants from poor African, Asian, and Latin-American countries got preference. Most immigrants from European countries were kept out. Special laws were passed to take in additional immigrants from Haiti, Central America and other poor countries for hurricanes and other natural disasters. Illegal immigrants were at first tolerated and then protected. This brought millions of illegal immigrants to America as well as 1,100,000 legal immigrants each year. This completely changed the racial, ethnic, and political makeup of America. Communists and other enemies of America supported this. They wanted to make America poor, divided, and weak. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Leaders of the Democratic Party also had an agenda. They wanted to keep their political power by Democratic creating a large block of voters who didn’t speak English and depended on government and the Democratic Party for money and influence.
This post is not yet complete. We are still looking up sources for the facts set forth above. If you have access to any, please let us know so we can post them sooner. Thanks!
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