“They brought with them courage, ambition, and the values of family, neighborhood, work, peace, and freedom. They came from different lands, but they shared the same value - the same dream”
-Ronald Reagan.
Once celebrated as the party of Reagan, a concerning trend of xenophobic rhetoric has become a prominent characteristic in this new era of the Republican Party. Recent party discourse has revolved around the issue of immigration, and it is actively destroying our foundational commitment to the American Dream. Though Republican candidates will eagerly invoke the name of Reagan like some sort of ancient incantation, they are less eager to abide by the political philosophy that made him a conservative icon. Reagan fully understood that with immigrants, whether within the confines of the law or otherwise, one thing is clear: they have a net positive on our country.
Support for immigration shouldn’t solely derive from the words of past politicians or idealistic talking points about fulfilling the “American Dream” promised to us all; the evidence conclusively points to the beneficial impacts immigrants have on our economy. Notably, over 30% of all new businesses are founded by immigrants. By securing newfound economic opportunities and stimulating the economy in the same stride, immigration becomes a mutually beneficial exchange. Not only this, but immigration and innovation are fundamentally intertwined. Since innovation is a core value of our party, we need to promote it accordingly. Immigrants are the most innovative group in America. After all, 30% of U.S. patents from 2000 to 2010 had immigrants named as inventors.
Despite all the evidence favoring a pro-immigration agenda, the mainstream Republican Party is hesitant to accommodate any more influxes of foreigners. To support their rigid anti-immigration views, Republican politicians frequently cite the crisis at the Southern Border as some sort of rallying cry. Undeniably, the southern border is in a state of crisis, but law and order and empathy are not mutually exclusive. The border crisis can be addressed effectively in a compassionate manner.
Significantly, there have been more than six million border encounters since the start of the Biden administration. Though it is a crisis, choosing to expel those who seek a better life is fundamentally contradictory to our valued American principles. Rather than cultivating an environment of fear for prospective immigrants, we can streamline the immigration process by providing greater opportunities for asylum seekers and establishing well-equipped processing centers at the border. Practical solutions such as these do exist, but, alongside so many other pressing issues, they often get lost in the unforgiving politicization within congressional chambers.
The unfortunate reality is that many Republican officials oppose immigration due to immigrants largely voting for Democrats. Efforts to block legislation that can effectively address the situation are merely performative politics for the sake of stoking sentiments opposing immigration. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 58% of immigrants identify as Democrats, while only 30% consider themselves Republicans. This statistical difference in party identity is not lost on the Republican establishment. It is because of this voting disparity that opposition to immigration has become deeply ingrained into the modern Republican Party.
My parents are immigrants. They came here the “right way” by obtaining citizenship before establishing residence here. However, we need to dispel this notion of there being a “wrong way” when it comes to immigration. Every immigrant’s arrival in America is the culmination of their desire to build a better life, and that struggle deserves compassion and support. The essence of America has always been about offering a helping hand to those who seek it. As the conservative party, it is our duty to conserve that tradition.
When asked about my cultural identity as an American, I genuinely don’t know how to answer. On the surface level, I might think about apple pie, baseball games, or reciting the poetry of Dr. Seuss, but I can’t think of a face to attribute to my perception of America. America has no inherent race, gender, or ethnicity; it is the beautiful combination of all the diverse colors, identities, and languages that choose to call themselves American, Our differences should be celebrated rather than discouraged.
By opposing immigration,
the modern Republican Party is actively putting the American dream to sleep.
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