The GOP Needs to Reverse the Damage Democrats Have Done to Immigration Culture

As an immigrant who legally migrated to the U.S in 1998, there is a major contrast to immigration culture then and now. It is being severely damaged by Democrats, but Republicans are missing major opportunities to prevent this damage by properly reforming immigration and making it better for America by ensuring that those who deserve to stay here do, while removing those who don’t.

The immigration culture in the communities I lived in the Bronx and Mount Vernon NY in 1998 and some years after was that if you were an immigrant, whether legally or undocumented you recognized your ability to be in America as a privilege. Like other countries, you were expected to follow laws and that they could be enforced, and to be self-sufficient, while not expecting government handouts. For us who came legally we signed and were sworn to not only adhere to laws, but not exhibiting unproductive behaviors such as supporting terrorist or criminal groups and communist organizations. Even among the undocumented, there was a wide recognition that they were in the wrong by not being here legally and so try to work hard, stay out of trouble and live decently including paying rent and bills on time while not drawing attention to their status. More so, among many of my new friends from multiple countries, there was a sense of reverence to ‘why’ America. What made America different from where we left? Not just the opportunities, but what about America’s original design enabled those opportunities.

Years ago, The Democrat Party platform at the time widely embraced these ideals and supported immigration reform in good faith to allow law-abiding immigrants a legal path to U.S residence and remove those who didn’t. However, just as the Democrat Party has evolved to be the political home socialism and communism which millions of immigrants fled, it has evolved to treating immigration as an entitlement. The party has made its platform to not only have supported the disastrous Biden open border policies but also have encouraged immigrants to defy immigration laws and to be an activist doing so while being entitled to America tax funded benefits. Whether it is the Defund the Police movement or violent anti- ICE movements, the Democrat Party has allowed itself to be the political home of those who exhibit open defiance to law enforcement and even enacted policies to protect the worst law breakers from being deported. This includes Sanctuary cities or states including NY that have released 7000 convicted migrants back into communities instead of honoring ICE detainers, forcing more ICE into these communities to apprehend them.

The Democrat party in nurturing an immigration culture to defy American laws not only has damaged this culture but also has been a distraction from efforts to have immigrants who deserve to migrate or stay in America to do so. The Democrat party has also made itself home for those who exhibit fervent animosity towards American founding principles, and have eagerly fostered a culture among immigrant communities to do the same. Many Democrats have openly used immigration as a cudgel to gain a voting block by any means under the cloak of fake virtue of caring about immigrants. They would have had credibility to do so if it would have shown more concern for the thousands of children sex trafficked or lost track of during the border crisis, and agreed to support removing criminal migrants, especially those who have killed Americans. During a recent visit to a barber shop in my former neighborhood in Mount Vernon, the conversation among the barbers and patrons who were all immigrants who came years ago, was about how the attitude of many new immigrants had changed compared to when they came to America. There has been a new sense of entitlement and resistance to start from humble beginnings to strive because they have been coached by new attitudes what to expect in America especially after Biden's border crisis and by social media.

There are ways the GOP can simultaneously keep securing the border, remove the worst of the worst illegal immigrants and make immigration work better for America while gaining politically by doing so. The GOP keeps missing the opportunity to beat Democrats at their own game of engaging the voting block of patriotic law-abiding immigrants who resonate with American values. In the midst of attention surrounding ICE enforcements, President Trump and the GOP going into the Midterm elections should announce immigration reform around a earned points based ‘ability to prosper’ ( ATP) visa system to determine who can migrate here, stay here or to be removed expeditiously. Points would be awarded and based on certain productive behaviors such as education, skills, being law abiding, having a successful business, working in a high demand industry and paying taxes. Points would also be deducted for unproductive behaviors such as criminal records, being on government assistance and supporting criminal or terrorist groups. Also bonus points should be awarded to those who can exhibit a thorough understanding of American civics. All undocumented immigrants would be required to enroll by a certain time or face immediate deportation. Scoring below a certain point threshold also would force immediate deportation. The points threshold for law abiding immigrant behavior should have certain levels of visas from guest worker visa, traditional work permit and after a certain time allow transition to earning a green card, but at the back of the line of those who already took the legal path to do so. These visas would have to be renewed every two years to ensure persons are abiding by the requirements. A proper guest worker visa system especially for people from the Western Hemisphere that allows people to travel back to their home countries could lead to many not wanting to stay in America permanently and bring their families because the reason many came and stayed is because they know if they leave, they may not be able to return. Under such a points system many law-abiding immigrants under temporary statuses such as DACA who are already vetted would qualify for a more permanent solution.

This would not be amnesty because undocumented people would have to earn a vetted status to stay in America while ensuring the most productive do so while removing the worst of the worst. Democrats would be forced into a position to prove if they really stand for law abiding immigrants and removing those who do not deserve to be here to keep immigration being good for America again.