The Left’s actions created a backlash against legal migrants

Throughout most of my life, one of America’s shared beliefs was that immigration was a good thing, maybe because so many of my generation had grandparents or great grandparents who were born elsewhere. They came here following the existing laws.

They came to America to build a better life, and in doing so, built a better America. 

To be honest, there were earlier periods when immigrants were not so welcome, especially when they did not come from “white Europe.”

Those attitudes softened, reversed even, after World War II, and in 1965, immigration quotas were redrawn to be less racist  favorable to western and northern Europe.

Immigration, generally, was seen as positive. 

But in the latest Gallup poll on the subject, 41% of Americans want immigration decreased, 31% want levels to remain the same, and only 26% want it increased. 

I think, but can’t prove, that the reason 4 out of 10 Americans want less immigration is because they — thanks to the media — conflate illegal immigration with legal immigration. It has become one and the same. Immigration has become synonymous with unlawful behavior to many Americans.

And since many Americans feel America is being “invaded” by illegals, they want it stopped.

So many Americans want it stopped that President Joe Biden was forced by the weight of politics to reluctantly issue a presidential executive order to help stem the flood. 

This is proof that as we trudge toward our national election, immigration has assumed a commanding position as an issue, surpassing even inflation and crime, according to Gallup.

In my mind, the issue is not actually “immigration.” 

The troublesome issue is illegal immigration, which is a term the Left doesn’t like. “No person is illegal,” I can hear them whine.

“Is any person a criminal?,” I ask in return. 

Illegal immigration was forcibly morphed into “immigration” by the Left, led by Open Border types, and supported by a left-oriented compliant media. Because of the Left’s obscuring of language, all migrants acquired a criminal tint.

And Open Borders — which could lead to 100 million arriving here — is nothing less than national suicide.

I remember when Democratic leaders opposed Open Borders,  and they may be forced backed to that common sense stance after breaking away from enforcing immigration law.

I first noted, and reported in 2010, the word “Illegal” had disappeared in news reporting. It was made to seem that all immigration — legal and illegal — was the same.

But it is not. It is no more the same than a doctor writing a prescription for a painkiller, and some guy selling you crack on the street.

Legal versus illegal.

Since Joe Biden became president, nearly 10 million people have illegally breached our borders.

(Illegal can be a little tricky, with several variations, such as people who sneak across the border (gotaways), visitors who arrive on a visa which they overstay, people requesting asylum between authorized points of entry.) 

Total number of illegals is estimated at more than 16 million.  

The numbers skyrocketed under Biden because in 2019 the well-intended fool thoughtlessly invited asylum seekers to surge the border. One of his first acts as President was to dismantle the policies put in place by President Donald J. Trump that had reduced illegal entry to near historic lows. Biden became the Great Liberator of the Illegals, who even wore T-shirts aimed right at his soft heart.

So now, too little and too late, Biden has acted.

Predictably, Republicans said it was too weak, and the ACLU said it was too strong, and will take the government to court, because the ACLU has turned from protecting American Civil Liberties to wrapping its arms around uncivil foreigners.

This mess will continue until the election, and perhaps beyond, and, I fear, will result in even more Americans turning their backs on even legal migrants, which is a goddamn shame, and the Left is to blame.