13 August 2018

Keep Out

Vanity Fair published an excellent article yesterday (link here) about how the far right anti-immigrant Stephen Miller, currently serving as Senior Advisor for Policy to Donald Trump, is quietly gutting America's pro-immigrant and pro-refugee policies in effect since the end of World War II.

Basically, if you're anything other than a white European interested in immigrating to the United States, then Trump via Miller wants you to keep out. This all harkens back to Trump's now-infamous "shithole" comment: he wants more people from places like Norway and none from places like Africa.

The results of this policy are heartbreaking and cruel. Even American-born citizens trying to adopt children from overseas are being blocked (example here).

America is a nation of immigrants. It has always been the case. But a few previous Presidents and the current one don't respect that. Trump is the son of an immigrant, but he wants to make sure blocks the door for nearly everyone not already here.

This is an economically moronic idea, too. The United States has an historically very low birth rate. The only way to grow the population -- and thus grow the economy -- is to allow immigration.

In higher per capita numbers, newer immigrants tend to fill lower-ranked service jobs. The next several decades will see a huge increase in demand for these jobs, particularly to care for the ever growing population of elderly.

If you block the door for these potential workers, this benefits no one. Except for white racists who don't like so many brown people.

The damage Trump is causing America will take decades to reverse. The sooner he goes, the better.

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