What is a better way to talk about immigration?
A few thoughts (and an invitation for community discussion)
Top note:
Every Thursday, I host a discussion for paid subscribers. Some times it’s about what’s going on in the world, but more often they’re about our own lives. I’m very biased, but they are the best: warm, thoughtful, wise… and fun. This time around, though, while the discussion is still for paid subscribers (which matters because it keeps folks’ comments private and therefore makes for a safer discussion), I wanted to make all of you— the free subscriber crowd— aware of it. Why? Well, first, because I’ve been meaning to send a “hey just as a reminder, we have these discussions on Thursday and they’re great” email for a while. But secondly, this is a topic about which I truly am trying to crowdsource as much wisdom as possible. I personally don’t have a full answer here, and have a hunch there’s wisdom in our community. And no, I don’t usually write as much context as I did this time around, but this is a thorny one!
As always, there are four ways to become a paid subscriber. The easiest is subscribing through Substack but I’m also happy to comp individuals who donate to Barnraisers Project or pre-order The Right Kind of White and fill out this survey. But what about those of you who don’t have the money to do any of those things? Just reply to this email, no questions asked, and I’ll comp you. If you have something to contribute to this discussion, I don’t want finances to be the limiting factor.
As I’m sure is true for most other Americans, I keep hearing that there is a “migrant crisis at the border” and a “migrant crisis in our cities” and that the “bipartisan immigration bill is on life support.” And as I’m sure is also true for many of you, I have been a partisan news consumer long enough to know how to hazily sort these headlines into the comfortable pockets of my pre-existing biases. I’m on the left, so I can safely assume that whatever Trump is saying is BAD and whatever dangerous tough guy stunt Texas Governor Greg Abbott is pulling is ADDITIONALLY BAD and convoys of tough guys arriving at the border to enflame tensions is SCARY AS HECK.
I don’t think that any of these assumptions are wrong, by the way. I think Abbott and Trump are demagogues who dehumanize human beings for political gain. But here’s the rub. This morning, the New York Times’ Morning Newsletter focused on immigration. And David Leonhardt’s message wasn’t BUILD THE WALL, at least not technically, but in essence, that’s exactly what it was. Here’s an excerpt:
“The security of the border both directly and indirectly affects migration flows. In the short term, a less porous border allows fewer people to enter the U.S.”
And yes, Leonhardt recognizes that there is a wealth disparity between the United States and Central and South America, and nods at sympathy for migrants’ “harrowing journeys” but the overall vibe remains the same: “Joe Biden, I don’t want you to, you know, say you want to build a wall or ‘put kids in cages’ or all that stuff that we liberals protested when Trump talked about it, but between you and me… do what you gotta do to keep all those people out.”
Even when couched in high-minded language, essays like this one still serve to erase human beings. An immigration policy is a success if it keeps somebody out, even if “being kept out” means being stuck in a situation where your family is unsafe or can’t make ends meet or, because you’re in a migratory limbo, you have no home whatsoever. That doesn’t sound like a victory to me! It sounds like decreeing that certain human beings should suffer so long as I don’t have to be made aware of their suffering!
This is the point that I, a smug leftist, should get to say “ahhh… both the conservatives and the moderates are wrong! The correct answer is for the United States to ramp up its social services and resources for welcoming migrants while also engaging in a radical reparations policy for the sins (both political and economic) we’ve committed against Latin America so that it is much less likely that any human being would have to leave their home because of violence or poverty.”
And listen, I believe that! And I can get pretty excited about a world without inequity between nation states, without militarized borders, without disproportionate climate trauma, without fear and precarity. But I also know that we’re far from that world—both practically and politically. And in the meantime, I know that I currently live in a wealthy, more cocooned country that technically has the resources and ability to welcome new arrivals, but not the necessary care infrastructure to do so. I also know that, as I write this, thousands of human beings arrive at our southern border every day, and thousands more are sleeping in makeshift shelters across the United States, and low income workers’ wages are impacted more by increased immigration than mine will ever be, and I honestly don’t know how to talk about all of this in a way that is both humane and pragmatic and has an eye on short term and long term aspirations alike.
This inability to fully articulate not just my values but my short and long term goals here has been nagging at me a while. And that feels urgent, because by all accounts this year’s Presidential election is likely to be an “immigration election” in which one candidate stands for “outright immigration fascism” and the other will stand for “sounding tough, but in more technocratic terms” and folks on the left (like me!) will tsk tsk both of them but not really offer any alternatives.
As I work towards my own articulation, I sincerely would love your help. And you don’t need to have answers! I’d love to hear from you on any number of levels:
What about the way your country (I am of course very focused on America’s broken immigration debate, but I am well aware that so many other countries have their own version of this cursed discourse) talks about immigration frustrates you the most?
What (and who) aren’t we talking about and considering in discussions of immigration?
Are you aware of any discussions of immigration that really DO inspire you, that point to both philosophies and policies that are more loving and humane and that are grounded in our current practical moment?
What are your dreams and aspirations— both in the short term and long term- for how countries should relate to their newest arrivals?
One of the reasons why I wanted to at least make all of you aware of this discussion is that we are a wise and diverse community, including individuals with personal migration experience (both documented and undocumented), as well as many others for whom this issue is deeply personal for a number of reasons. Thanks so much in advance for bringing your own perspective to the discussion, while also being thoughtful and welcoming to others, especially those whose humanity is often ignored in immigration discourse.
Again, a quick reminder: While this post is public, the discussion is private, to help make for a safer, more honest, less performative space.
Here's a contribution from a reader who wanted me to share their thoughts (which they emailed me) anonymously:
"Thinking about how do we know where we are going if we don't know where we came from? Finding our personal immigration story, not the generic condensed version is key to understanding what we came from and how we got where we are. Along the path of finding our ancestors we will also find the untold history of the United States. We've forgotten our individual threads and the part they play in the fabric of us. It's always a story of immigrants. And it's also the story of community that helps us survive and thrive. How can we understand where we are going if we don't know where we came from?"
I live in New York City, one of the places with the most migrants. I think of the migrants as people who in the short run require a lot of services, but in the longer run will be a great addition to my city. They have generally had to endure a lot to get here and that speaks well for their perseverance and their ambition. In time, they and their children will add to the life of the city significantly in both economic and cultural terms.
This is an anecdote. My family supports a public middle school in Washington Heights that has had its share of new students who are migrants. We recently heard from the senior administrators of the school about one new student from Mexico, an orphan, who made it here by himself to meet up with his uncles and grandfather. They live in a "double-up," meaning one room for two families.
This boy is off the charts smart. He wants to be an immigration lawyer. I wouldn't bet against him being able to do whatever he sets his mind to.
Also, NYC gets additional funds from the state for every new student so the migrants help the school budget.
In America we have a declining birthrate. We need immigrants. We've always needed immigrants. Almost all of us ARE immigrants/ descended from immigrants.
We should be worried when people like the boy I described DON"T want to come here.