The American People insist on reforming immigration, and they don't just mean seeing that everyone who wants to come into the country is admitted as long as they enter in orderly lines at the ports of entry and have a background or health check, like at Ellis Island in the 1890s. Polls make clear, especially the one that counts the most last November, that it means they insist on exercising the right, inherent in every other sovereign state, to choose through their elected representatives, who can and who cannot enter, and to have those choices not just honored but enforced at every land, sea, and air port of entry. Democrats have ignored, deplored, and tried to evade that legitimate insistence for decades. As David Frum has repeatedly warned, if liberals won't enforce borders, fascists will. And now we're going to see.
I have no faith in Trump and his henchmen. I despise him and his methods. I think that he'll fail, and he'll just make a bad situation worse. I only hope that in four years there's another chance to prove that liberal democracy can respond effectively and humanely to the popular will.
The one very important thing about this approach is that it "trains" the populace that being an informer is a good thing. You are "doing your duty" if you call the hotline to rat out your neighbors nanny. Once you inculcate that mind set, everyone is on the payroll to inform on....? Your LGBTQ plumber?, Your "woke" neighbor? The person you saw reading "The Bulwark" on the subway?
Yes to all of the above. Because the fear becomes contagious. You know "they" can come after you. It infiltrates the entire population. Russia has mastered this and we are well on course to do so.
Well, the scare tactics won in Springfield Ohio. The Guardian revisited the city after the election. Trump won by 150 votes. The Haitians, considered a major reason for the resurgence of Springfield, are moving away as fast as they can. Local merchants are seeing a loss of customers. Loss of customers means loss of rent payment, and loss of tax money. This will play out in many other places, leaving those behind with fewer services and higher taxes. I hope they are happy. They got what they voted for.
Perhaps because it’s so blatant it need not be said aloud, but all this immigration talk/fear is directed solely at Latinos and Latinas. No talk of raids in Brighton Beach or Little Odessa or Little Sweden. Racial discrimination? Hey, the Republican way!
"An incoming Missouri senator, Republican David Gregory, already introduced a bill that would give residents of the state $1,000 a pop to turn in undocumented immigrants as part of a bounty program." This is grandstanding in a state that wants to cut taxes even though we have one of the lowest starting pay rates for teachers, and is fighting to get around the ballot initiatives that changed the state's rabid anti-abortion law and approved increasing the minimum wage and requiring sick pay for many businesses. We also stopped right-to-work, approved Medicaid expansion, and legalized medical and recreational marijuana with initiatives. This is what 20+ years of Republican rule get you - a lot of hate and very little legislation to improve the life of residents.
There's a lot of really good comments, and a couple of foolish ones as well. Legitimate discussion over the bargaining power of the American born workforce are interesting. Unions have been crushed and barely exist in a time when they are badly needed.
JFK claimed that Unions raised the all workers up and at one time when they represented 35% of the work force, it may have been true. These days, not even close.
I love the addition of Adrian because this next year will unfold in so many directions, immigration of course one of the hot buttons. I suspect, with our old friend elon helping direct the course, we'll see both the H 1B program expanded and a return to the old Bracero's program.
I was surprised to read in a link Tom posted, that too has a nice/better sounding designation H-1A (?). I guess i shouldn't have been. There's little doubt the employers will find new ways to keep wages low, legally.
One of the articles i read in the past year, the idea was floated those rounded up and housed in detention centers (prison camps), be allowed to work their way to citizenship. It fits perfectly with trump being able to monetize who he sells these Visas to and better yet (for him), the wages they pay and how big his return is.
During the 1980s, and informal collection of left-leaning churches founded the Sanctuary Movement to help refugees from war=torn Central American countries hunted by their right-wing governments to find safety here in the U.S. I wonder if any such effort among churches or NGOs is happening now to provide aid to those likely targeted by this fear campaign.
Great article and addition to the Bulwark. I can’t help but look back and hear Charlie say “performative assholery” a couple of times a day when reading about TFG 2.0.
The Cruelty is the Point™ morphing into The Terror is Our Policy™ is all too predictable with these people, unfortunately. Next will be their inevitable professions of faith
Why should Democrats oppose Laken Riley? Demonizing immigrants helped the GOP in very big ways. Heck, the GOP picked up support from Latinos. The only way for a Democrat to be relevant is to be a more extreme hard-liner than the GOP.
Well hey. There's the opportunity for a little side cash in Texas, home to many immigrants. A young undocumented woman has an unwanted pregnancy and with the help of friends and relatives, arranges to terminate her pregnancy in another state. An enterprising, patriotic and Christian Texan can score a twofer. Make some calls and turn her in, along with her accomplices, for fleeing the state to claim ownership of her body. Next, call the illegal immigrant hotline, reveal her crime of owning her own body, and viola, there's some extra $$$ to go out and celebrate with some margaritas and chips and salsa. The sweet satisfaction of knowing a young, frightened, soon-to-be mother is headed south to a place not her own, because that's how we like it in the US now and it's what God wants.
The American People insist on reforming immigration, and they don't just mean seeing that everyone who wants to come into the country is admitted as long as they enter in orderly lines at the ports of entry and have a background or health check, like at Ellis Island in the 1890s. Polls make clear, especially the one that counts the most last November, that it means they insist on exercising the right, inherent in every other sovereign state, to choose through their elected representatives, who can and who cannot enter, and to have those choices not just honored but enforced at every land, sea, and air port of entry. Democrats have ignored, deplored, and tried to evade that legitimate insistence for decades. As David Frum has repeatedly warned, if liberals won't enforce borders, fascists will. And now we're going to see.
I have no faith in Trump and his henchmen. I despise him and his methods. I think that he'll fail, and he'll just make a bad situation worse. I only hope that in four years there's another chance to prove that liberal democracy can respond effectively and humanely to the popular will.
The one very important thing about this approach is that it "trains" the populace that being an informer is a good thing. You are "doing your duty" if you call the hotline to rat out your neighbors nanny. Once you inculcate that mind set, everyone is on the payroll to inform on....? Your LGBTQ plumber?, Your "woke" neighbor? The person you saw reading "The Bulwark" on the subway?
Yes to all of the above. Because the fear becomes contagious. You know "they" can come after you. It infiltrates the entire population. Russia has mastered this and we are well on course to do so.
Well, the scare tactics won in Springfield Ohio. The Guardian revisited the city after the election. Trump won by 150 votes. The Haitians, considered a major reason for the resurgence of Springfield, are moving away as fast as they can. Local merchants are seeing a loss of customers. Loss of customers means loss of rent payment, and loss of tax money. This will play out in many other places, leaving those behind with fewer services and higher taxes. I hope they are happy. They got what they voted for.
Non-white naturalized citizens who voted for Trump thinking he will only deport illegal immigrants have no sense of history of our country.
Perhaps because it’s so blatant it need not be said aloud, but all this immigration talk/fear is directed solely at Latinos and Latinas. No talk of raids in Brighton Beach or Little Odessa or Little Sweden. Racial discrimination? Hey, the Republican way!
Just wondering: Wasn’t there an “illegal” immigrant problem at Mar-a-Lago?
"An incoming Missouri senator, Republican David Gregory, already introduced a bill that would give residents of the state $1,000 a pop to turn in undocumented immigrants as part of a bounty program." This is grandstanding in a state that wants to cut taxes even though we have one of the lowest starting pay rates for teachers, and is fighting to get around the ballot initiatives that changed the state's rabid anti-abortion law and approved increasing the minimum wage and requiring sick pay for many businesses. We also stopped right-to-work, approved Medicaid expansion, and legalized medical and recreational marijuana with initiatives. This is what 20+ years of Republican rule get you - a lot of hate and very little legislation to improve the life of residents.
Deport the foreign born? Let's start with the residents and workers at Mar-a-Lago!
Lady Liberty weeps.
Fear, of course—it worked exceedingly well in 1930s Germany. Time-tested.
Great writeup. And thank you for linking to Migrant Insider, a milestone for us: our very first link in a news story. Gracias!
There's a lot of really good comments, and a couple of foolish ones as well. Legitimate discussion over the bargaining power of the American born workforce are interesting. Unions have been crushed and barely exist in a time when they are badly needed.
JFK claimed that Unions raised the all workers up and at one time when they represented 35% of the work force, it may have been true. These days, not even close.
I love the addition of Adrian because this next year will unfold in so many directions, immigration of course one of the hot buttons. I suspect, with our old friend elon helping direct the course, we'll see both the H 1B program expanded and a return to the old Bracero's program.
I was surprised to read in a link Tom posted, that too has a nice/better sounding designation H-1A (?). I guess i shouldn't have been. There's little doubt the employers will find new ways to keep wages low, legally.
One of the articles i read in the past year, the idea was floated those rounded up and housed in detention centers (prison camps), be allowed to work their way to citizenship. It fits perfectly with trump being able to monetize who he sells these Visas to and better yet (for him), the wages they pay and how big his return is.
Nothing he does will surprise me. NOTHING!
During the 1980s, and informal collection of left-leaning churches founded the Sanctuary Movement to help refugees from war=torn Central American countries hunted by their right-wing governments to find safety here in the U.S. I wonder if any such effort among churches or NGOs is happening now to provide aid to those likely targeted by this fear campaign.
Great article and addition to the Bulwark. I can’t help but look back and hear Charlie say “performative assholery” a couple of times a day when reading about TFG 2.0.
Thank you, Walter!
The Cruelty is the Point™ morphing into The Terror is Our Policy™ is all too predictable with these people, unfortunately. Next will be their inevitable professions of faith
Why should Democrats oppose Laken Riley? Demonizing immigrants helped the GOP in very big ways. Heck, the GOP picked up support from Latinos. The only way for a Democrat to be relevant is to be a more extreme hard-liner than the GOP.
The problem is, most DEMs have not adopted the required shamelessness that is needed to be effective.
Well hey. There's the opportunity for a little side cash in Texas, home to many immigrants. A young undocumented woman has an unwanted pregnancy and with the help of friends and relatives, arranges to terminate her pregnancy in another state. An enterprising, patriotic and Christian Texan can score a twofer. Make some calls and turn her in, along with her accomplices, for fleeing the state to claim ownership of her body. Next, call the illegal immigrant hotline, reveal her crime of owning her own body, and viola, there's some extra $$$ to go out and celebrate with some margaritas and chips and salsa. The sweet satisfaction of knowing a young, frightened, soon-to-be mother is headed south to a place not her own, because that's how we like it in the US now and it's what God wants.
Alondra - Grim but not far fetched. Monetizing the death of the golden rule, that's where the gold will be.