While the majority of the American public has always been against illegal immigration, that’s rarely been the case for legal immigrants.
Perhaps that’s because people are wising up to the fact that not all forms of legal immigration are equal. Someone born to illegal immigrant parents on U.S. soil is technically a legal immigrant, but in no way is that comparable to a skilled worker applying for citizenship in the U.S. Likewise, there is no skill requirement for coming to America through chain-migration (via a family member) or through the “diversity visa lottery.”
Coming to America is a privilege, not a right, and why should we let anyone in? Despite all the branding of Trump’s strict immigration stance as “racist,” literally every country enforces their immigration laws, some more strict than we do.
Mexico deports more Central American illegal immigrants than we do, and regulates legal immigration by race. Canada won’t even let someone with a DUI enter their country to visit – and you’ll need a net worth exceeding $1 million if you realistically want residency there. In the case of Japan, their immigration policy is more “anti-immigration” than anything. In 2009 they passed a law allowing the Japanese government to pay $3,000 to each unemployed Latin American immigrant residing there – under the condition that they and their entire family (who would be compensated an additional $2,000 per member) would be prohibited from ever returning to Japan.
And it looks like more Americans are coming around to the view that even legal immigration should be limited. According to the Washington Times,
A Harvard-Harris poll taken in the run-up to the shutdown found Americans strongly support granting citizenship rights to illegal immigrant Dreamers. But they also back Mr. Trump’s three demands for a border wall, limits to the chain of family migration and an end to the Diversity Visa Lottery.
Most striking of all is the public’s demand for lower overall legal immigration — a position that has little traction on Capitol Hill but one that is overwhelmingly popular across the country.
The poll found that most Americans want annual legal immigration capped at 500,000 a year or less — far lower than the current annual rate of 1.3 million.
That amounts to just north of a 61% decline in our current levels of immigration.
In fact, less than 1 in 5 polled wanted more than 1 million immigrants per year, meaning they technically could want to see it cut from current levels without knowing it.
Meanwhile, 35% said we should take in fewer than 250,000 legal immigrants a year, while another 19% said it should be 250,000 to 500,000.
Where do you stand? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!
