The Quote Below—More Misinformation from the Media
“The United States has always claimed to be a nation of immigrants, built by people who arrived from different parts of the world, carrying only hope and determination. From the earliest waves of European settlers to the millions of people who arrived at Ellis Island and others who now seek asylum through the border, immigration has always been a central part of the American story. Today, it is the backbone of much of our workforce, our culture and our communities. . . .
“The rhetoric we hear on the national stage rarely reflects this truth. The current Administration speaks in absolutes: about ‘aliens,’ ‘security threats’ and ‘invasion.’ These phrases dehumanize the real people who are on the other side of the situation and strip away their individuality. When a person becomes nothing more than a statistic, it becomes easier to dismiss them. . . .
“I sometimes wonder what kind of country my generation will inherit. On one hand, I am grateful for the rights and privileges of being a U.S. citizen. On the other hand, I have never felt such a stark disconnect between the ideals the United States is meant to uphold and the policies currently being enacted. When I hear politicians threaten and verbally belittle immigrants, I see the faces of my parents, my aunt and cousins and the rest of my family. If they had been met with the same hostility, where would I be today?
“Immigration is not just a political issue; it is a human one. And if we forget that, we risk losing the very soul of the nation we claim to protect.” — America Was Built by Immigrants. Today, It Shuts Them Out, Alyssa Gonzalez, The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, 11/4/25 [Link]
Fact Check of Above Quote: The United States has not “always claimed” to be a nation of immigrants. Actually, this was a propaganda slogan popularized in the mid-1960s to push the mass immigration enacted by the 1965 immigration act. This slogan promotes the false notion that the primary purpose of our country is accepting immigrants. This is only a part of our heritage, and a relatively small one at that.
Nor is it true that “immigrants built America.” It was settlers who laid the foundation of America and contributed to much of its subsequent development. The difference is that settlers build a country, whereas immigrants arrive in a country already built and developed. Certainly, immigrants have contributed to America’s subsequent development, but their contributions don’t make them the creators of our country. Contrary to Alyssa Gonzalez’s claim, immigrants don’t make up “the backbone of much of our workforce.” In reality, the majority of workers in almost every U.S. occupation are native-born.
The Trump administration is not compromising America’s ideals with its references to aliens, security threats, and invasion. These are references to illegal immigration. Does Gonzalez really believe that our national soul is at risk if we uphold our country’s rule of law by enforcing immigration laws? If so, she’s not much of a citizen. Real Americans understand that we are a nation of Americans.