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>There's a difference between being anti-immigrant and being anti-illegal-immigrant. I used to think that too. I don't anymore. People are anti-immigrant. The

>There's a difference between being anti-immigrant and being anti-illegal-immigrant. I used to think that too. I don't anymore. People are anti-immigrant. The law determines whether the immigrant is legal or not, but that does not matter to the anti-immigrant. Let us be generous and say the anti-immigrant is so because of economic reasons, depression of wages and what not. Then does it matter that the immigrant is here legally? No. He is nonetheless contributing to the depression of wages (ex. H1-b). And then maybe if the economy is super healthy and there is labour shortage, would it then matter if the now desired immigrant is legal or not? No. People are anti-immigrant because they see immigrants are others, as competition who has no right to compete with them, or similarly, they seem them as another people encroaching on their territory. Issues of legality concern the state but they do not concern the individual anti-immigrant.

bkohlmann 7y ago
Some people are anti-immigrant. Many others are anti-illegal immigrant, including myself. I favor very liberal immigration laws since immigrants have immeasurably bolstered American culture and society. Asylum seekers should be welcomed with open arms, and their claims should be verified to preserve the integrity of the asylum system. We as a nation have the inherent right to control our borders as a matter of democratic policy (as all other nations do). There are legitimate national security (and economic) concerns with small numbers of those who would do harm to our country. The alternative to reasonable restrictions on immigration is open borders, which I think would lead to poor outcomes.
ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
...No? Everything you said remains accurate even if you replace immigrants with illegal immigrants. Particularly your entire last paragraph is what people have an issue with illegal immigrants for, and why a large number of legal immigrants/H1-bs have issues with illegal immigrants. Did you know it can take as long as 15 years for an H1-b to get a green card? Did you know an H1-b can have their application rejected and then have to return home? >People are anti-immigrant because they see immigrants are others, as competition who has no right to compete with them, or similarly, they seem them as another people encroaching on their territory. Issues of legality concern the state but they do not concern the individual anti-immigrant.
leetcrew 7y ago
you're not limited to a binary choice between "no immigration" and "let literally everyone come in". it could be that there's a certain net immigration than a country can sustain per year. perhaps it's also a relatively enlightened country with a legal structure that allows roughly that number of people to enter. in this case, the legal immigrants are doing no harm, but the illegal immigrants are straining the system past its capacity.

bkohlmann 7y ago

Some people are anti-immigrant. Many others are anti-illegal immigrant, including myself. I favor very liberal immigration laws since immigrants have immeasurably bolstered American culture and society. Asylum seekers should be welcomed with open arms, and their claims should be verified to preserve the integrity of the asylum system. We as a nation have the inherent right to control our borders as a matter of democratic policy (as all other nations do). There are legitimate national security (and economic) concerns with small numbers of those who would do harm to our country. The alternative to reasonable restrictions on immigration is open borders, which I think would lead to poor outcomes.

ApolloFortyNine 7y ago

...No? Everything you said remains accurate even if you replace immigrants with illegal immigrants. Particularly your entire last paragraph is what people have an issue with illegal immigrants for, and why a large number of legal immigrants/H1-bs have issues with illegal immigrants. Did you know it can take as long as 15 years for an H1-b to get a green card? Did you know an H1-b can have their application rejected and then have to return home? >People are anti-immigrant because they see immigrants are others, as competition who has no right to compete with them, or similarly, they seem them as another people encroaching on their territory. Issues of legality concern the state but they do not concern the individual anti-immigrant.

leetcrew 7y ago

you're not limited to a binary choice between "no immigration" and "let literally everyone come in". it could be that there's a certain net immigration than a country can sustain per year. perhaps it's also a relatively enlightened country with a legal structure that allows roughly that number of people to enter. in this case, the legal immigrants are doing no harm, but the illegal immigrants are straining the system past its capacity.