The Quote Below—More Misinformation from the Media
“The ongoing heated rhetoric — steeped with fear — surrounding the immigration crisis at our southern border has made it almost impossible to see a clear path to lasting resolution [to our immigration problem].
“Americans have been told by some leaders that many of the immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers they see crowded at the border, wading through the Rio Grande and Rio Bravo, and walking across the border carrying luggage and children are criminals, thugs and rapists. And that they are seeking to enter the United States to steal, pillage and live off government welfare.
“Many news outlets have interviewed immigrant families and children to show the human side of the crisis. Regardless, the negative stereotype remains; so does the fear. . . .
“The first step to resolving the crisis is to tone down the negative, fear-based rhetoric for the truth to surface about the majority of immigrants and their intentions for seeking America as their new homes. And then, with a clear understanding about who is coming to our borders from other countries, we can begin to build meaningful immigration policies that will solve the crisis.
“Most immigrants wanting to relocate to the United States are seeking jobs and a better life for themselves and their children. This is no different than the reason that millions of Europeans left their homelands in the late 1800s and early 1900s to resettle in America.
“Jobs have been the primary driver of immigration for decades and no one has benefited more than American businesses and people. . . . [A]ccording to the Congressional Budget Office, will contribute to a $7 trillion increase in GDP and $1 trillion in additional government revenue over the next decade.
“To solve the country’s immigration crisis, legislators from both sides of the aisle need to come together to seek ways of stopping disinformation and hateful hyperbole. They need to highlight, instead, the immense advantages of welcoming immigrants into the country, while creating a legal path [to citizenship] that is fair for everyone. . . .” — Immigration Needs Action Not Rhetoric, APG of ECM Editorial Board, 9/22/24 [Link]
Fact Check of Above Quote: This editorial is example of a common ploy by the media. It purports to provide an even-handed critique of immigration, while it slants in favor of mass immigration advocates. The editorial laments the “heated rhetoric” of some politicians against immigration and calls for a balance against it. Thus, the editorialist praises the media for supposedly providing such a balance by reporting the “human side” of immigrants. But that really isn’t evenhandedness because the media seldom present the “human side” of immigration restrictionists or present their arguments in a favorable light.
Restrictionists’ concerns about becoming strangers in their own land elicit little but disdain from the media, which typically depict them as ignorant, intolerant, or worse. A perfect example is current situation in Springfield, Ohio, where the press pundits can’t seem to understand why citizens of the city of 60,000 don’t feel blessed by the sudden arrival of 20,000 Haitians. The media rhapsodize about a “better life” for immigrants, while a better life for American citizens seems to be the least of their concerns.
Immigration has indeed helped to enhance the profits of some businesses, while lowering the wages and opportunities for lower-skilled American workers. The statement that immigration will boost the GDP is meaningless because it is not measure of how wealthy average citizens are. India has a much higher GDP than the Netherlands, but is a much poorer country. A much better measure of national is per capita income, which immigration doesn’t necessarily increase. Immigrants do pay taxes, but those taxes are less in dollars than the benefits they receive.
The editorial tries to make mass immigration congenial by comparing it to the immigration of the 1800s and early 1900s. It’s not a valid comparison because back then we needed more people to fill and develop our country. Now that we are built and developed, we don’t need so many builders.
The “mainstream” media seem to think that they can get away with their unrelenting bias for mass immigration. Still, they may not get away with it forever. The liabilities of unchecked immigration are becoming too obvious for any honest person to ignore.