We are a nation of immigrants.
“We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.” – Mitt Romney
This is what history teaches us – if we can only learn.
“Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history.” – Oscar Handlin
Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal.
“We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.” – Robert F. Kennedy
The diversity provided by immigration has made our country what it is.
“The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources–because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
Being an American is different from being a citizen from any other country.
“I received a letter just before I left office from a man. I don’t know why he chose to write it, but I’m glad he did. He wrote that you can go to live in France, but you can’t become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Italy, but you can’t become a German, an Italian. He went through Turkey, Greece, Japan and other countries. But he said anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to live in the United States and become an American.” – Ronald Reagan
The very essence of the United States embodies acceptance of the immigrant.
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respected stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges…” – George Washington
A few of our ancestors arrived on the Mayflower.
“We came to America, either ourselves or in the persons of our ancestors, to better the ideals of men, to make them see finer things than they had seen before, to get rid of the things that divide and to make sure of the things that unite.” – Woodrow Wilson
The rest arrived by choice or by force.
“No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” – Warsan Shire
Nearly all Americans have ancestors who arrived by land, sea, or air – liberty-loving risk-takers in search of an ideal – the largest voluntary migrations in recorded history.
“Immigration is not just a link to America’s past; it’s also a bridge to America’s future.” – George H. W. Bush
It says something about our country that people around the world are willing to leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come to America.
“Their talent and hard work and love of freedom have helped make America the leader of the world. And our generation will ensure that America remains a beacon of liberty and the most hopeful society this world has ever known.” – George W. Bush
The words on the Statue of Liberty embrace the American idea of immigration.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” – Emma Lazarus
Until 1921, this was an accepted picture of our society.
“Under present law it would be appropriate to add: as long as they come from Northern Europe, are not too tired or too poor or slightly ill, never stole a loaf of bread, never joined any questionable organization, and can document their activities from the past two years.” ― John F. Kennedy
We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic.
“Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” – Jimmy Carter
There are many reasons to invite the immigrant to our borders.
“We welcome refugees, not because they are American… But because we are American.” – Krish O’Mara Vignarajah
America was built by immigrants.
“We are a country where people of all backgrounds, all nations of origin, all languages, all religions, all races, can make a home.” – Hillary Clinton
There is much building to be done.
“You know, 11 million people live in the shadows. I believe they’re already American citizens. These people are just waiting, waiting for a chance to contribute fully. And by that standard, 11 million undocumented aliens are already Americans, in my view.” – Joe Biden
What would be the result if we shunned the immigrant?
“If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.” – Ronald Reagan
Welcoming immigrants is the right thing to do!
“We have a legal and moral obligation to protect people fleeing bombs, bullets and tyrants, and throughout history those people have enriched our society.” – Juliet Stevenson
Fear should not determine who can immigrate.
“We the people of this continent are not afraid of foreigners because many of us were once foreigners.” – Pope Francis
It has always been so.
“The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.” – Thomas Paine
Some are troubled by the immigration debate.
“When [my family] came from England during the war, people said, ‘You are welcome here. What can we do to help?’ I am a beneficiary of the American people’s generosity, and I hope we can have comprehensive immigration legislation that allows this country to continue to be enriched by those who were not born here.” – Madeleine Albright
Immigrant families have integrated themselves into our communities, establishing deep roots.
“Whenever they have settled, they have made lasting contributions to the economic vitality and diversity of our communities and our nation. Our economy depends on these hard-working, taxpaying workers. They have assisted America in its economic boom.” – Ted Kennedy
It is crucial for us to know where our standards have dropped; such as when the United States jailed American citizens of Japanese heritage.
“And it seems to me important for a country, for a nation to certainly know about its glorious achievements but also to know where its ideals failed, in order to keep that from happening again.” – George Takei
The wife of our current president was born in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Elon Musk, born in South Africa, served as senior advisor to Trump and as the de facto head of DOGE. Elaine Chao, born in Taiwan, served as Secretary of Transportation during Trump’s first administration. Yet it is hard to find a positive statement from our president concerning immigrants.
“In the United States, we reject the idea that mass numbers of people from foreign lands can be permitted to travel halfway around the world, trample our borders, violate our sovereignty, cause unmitigated crime, and deplete our social safety net.” – Donald Trump
Nonetheless, our country is forever indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity.
“That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts.” – James Madison
What has happened to the United States?
“If we study our own history, we find that we have always been ready to receive the unfortunate from other countries, and though this may seem a generous gesture on our part, we have profited a thousand-fold by what they have brought us.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
We were strangers once, too.
“My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants.” – Barack Obama
We must remember.
“Remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Some say the quality of the recent immigrant is undesirable.
“The time is quite within recent memory when the same thing was said of immigrants who, with their descendants, are now numbered among our best citizens.” – Grover Cleveland
It is not just the poor immigrant that contributes to our society.
“As an immigrant, I chose to live in America because it is one of the freest and most vibrant nations in the world. And as an immigrant, I feel an obligation to speak up for immigration policies that will keep America the most economically robust, creative and freedom-loving nation in the world.” – Rupert Murdoch
If we do not provide the same opportunities for future immigrants that were provided for our forefathers, it is an affront to our national ideals.
“We owe these servicemen more for the sacrifices that they have made for this country.” – John McCain
Since 1607, when the first English settlers reached the New World, more than 100 million people have migrated to the United States.
“In 1797 a member of Congress argued that, while a liberal immigration policy was fine when the country was new and unsettled, now that America had reached its maturity and was fully populated, immigration should stop—an argument which has been repeated at regular intervals throughout American history.” ― John F. Kennedy
Diversity makes our country great.
“Yes, we become stronger when men and women, young and old, gay and straight, native-born and immigrant fight together to create the kind of country we all know we can become.” – Bernie Sanders
Who is entitled to belong?
“The American dream belongs to all of us.” – Kamala Harris
Our destiny is more important than our origin.
“What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth, but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone — from anywhere — can write the next chapter of our story.” – Barack Obama
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In 1987, on the 101st anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 28 as National Immigrants Day. It is celebrated as a moving reminder of what makes America unique among other nations. It is an acknowledgement that the U.S. has more immigrants than any other nation.
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: iStock
