The Quote Below—More Misinformation from the Media
“No issue has better served to demonstrate America’s political dysfunction. For decades, the talk was of “comprehensive immigration reform” encompassing the core Republican demand of border security and the Democratic imperative of a path to citizenship for many of those already here.
“Regardless of the D.C. balance of power, that deal could never get done. Each side always insisted on a little bit more. As both parties have polarized, the idea of give-and-take, call it compromise, has withered. . . .I do not purport to have my own comprehensive answer. But I have a number of observations:
“As John F. Kennedy wrote, America is indeed, ‘A Nation of Immigrants.’ Unless you are a full-blooded Native American, your lineage traces to a newcomer. Immigrants very largely built our railroads, fought our wars and kept the peace. Today, they provide much of our food, tend our homes, often raise our children, and care for the sick and elderly. They are worthy of our respect and decency. Nativists have held sway at various points of American history. Most often, they have been wrong.
“A sovereign nation requires borders. That should be self-evident, even as the concept is controversial in some precincts of the left. Borders are meaningless without enforcement. . . . There is a distinction between legal immigration and illegal immigration. Full stop.
“That said, all immigrants, including those here against the law, deserve humane treatment. A vast multitude of those who voted to empower this administration had in mind the removal of those here illegally and engaged in criminal mischief. Mass deportations, quotas and heavily militarized roundups are something else entirely.
“Given political passions in overdrive on both sides, it is essential that we remain a nation of laws. This applies to those on the left who effectively deny the importance of legal status. It is germane as well for those on the right who dismiss due process. . . .
“I’ll conclude with this picture that dominates my thinking – that of a fence, as in a defined border if not necessarily chain-link, but with plentiful gates and large welcome mats. Such a day awaits.” — On Immigration Battles and Political Dysfunction, Eric Sondermann, The Gazette, 6/24/25 [Link]]
Fact Check of Above Quote: This is the kind of article that purports to take an evenhanded position on immigration, while giving the weight of its arguments to the pro-immigration side. Its first off invocation of the “nation of immigrations” mantra reveals the writer’s bias. This mantra commonly aims to manipulate sentiments about immigrants and thereby sidetrack rational discussion of immigration policy. The factual reality is that settlers built America, not immigrants. The difference is that settlers create and develop a country, while immigrants arrive in a country already developed. The settlers were the first Americans. None of the native tribes went by that name, and none created the culture of what became the United States of America.
Yes, immigrants have contributed to America, but let’s keep their contributions in perspective. Even today, the majority of workers in almost every job category is native-born Americans.
The writer of the article further reveals his bias by using the term “nativist,” a slur immigration advocates commonly employ against restrictionists, even those with perfectly reasonable arguments. Without any proof, he assures readers, that “nativists” are “most often wrong.” In reality, they have been quite right about the unfolding disaster of our immigration policies for the past 50 years.. If anyone doubts this, compare the California before the present surge of mass immigration with the California of today.
To its credit, the article affirms the importance of borders, the rule of law, and the need for enforcement. Nevertheless, it adds qualifications which seem to diminish that importance. It says enforcement must involve “due process.” That’s fine if the term is properly defined, but illegal alien advocates typically use it to describe a drawn out convoluted legal process designed to prevent deportations. Similarly the article says that deportations must be “humane.” Again, with proper definition that’s OK, but the advocates portray virtually all enforcement as inhumane.
The writer of the article reveals his real commitment when he decries “mass deportations [and] quotas.” And just how are we to make any dent the nearly 15 million illegals without large-scale removals of illegal aliens?
Advocates of mass immigration (legal and illegal) are beginning to realize that their case is a hard sell. That’s why they feign evenhandedness.