Will immigrants integrate, or not?

Last updated on: January 30, 2018 at 9:43 am by Jane the Actuary

Will immigrants integrate, or not? 2018-01-30T09:43:11-06:00 Jane the Actuary

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By Lewis W. Hine(Life time: 1874-1940) - Original publication: Photo-studyImmediate source: Brooklyn Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51292180

Here are two admittedly-broad characterizations.

Immigration-skeptics worry that unskilled illegal (or even legal) immigrants will fail to integrate, but will instead remain a permanent underclass, performing cheap labor for wage-cutting employers and taking care of the children and lawns of the wealthy, while remaining in their narrow enclaves, making no efforts to learn English, and using up far more in government services for themselves and their children (Medicaid, food stamps, public schools including ESL and special ed services, etc.) than they will ever pay in taxes. Even if their children do ultimately learn English, they will not value schooling because their cultures don’t, and will drop out and join gangs or have illegitimate children. What’s more, at least the parents are be grateful for the opportunity for a higher standard of living than their home countries, and will keep their heads down to avoid deportation, but their American-born children are resentful that their standard of living is lower than that of native-born whites, and, rather than being motivated to work hard to achieve greater prosperity, they instead turn to crime and welfare dependency as ways to get what they feel they deserve.

Is that fair?

The other broad-brush characterization is, of course, quite the opposite: immigrants are good, decent, church-going people with a fantabulastic work ethic and devotion to family who want to see their children succeed. They care deeply about their adopted home and within one or two generations (sped up if we provide them with resources) they are just like any other Americans.

So here’s what gets me:

Democrats strenuously object whenever anyone questions the ability of immigrants to integrate. Sure, we’ll then get into issues of identity politics and affirmative action and the like, but the fundamental idea that there’s anything about unskilled immigrants and their cultural background that prevents them from ultimately succeeding and becoming Good Americans, is deeply offensive.

At the same time, they like to crow that, after the current wave of illegals is given citizenship, and, regardless, due to the effects of legal immigration, they will be guaranteed a permanent majority. All they need do is wait patiently enough, but eventually, they will reach a point at which they will never lose an election again, because they will be guaranteed the Hispanic vote in perpetuity. Most recently, see this tweet from Julian Castro:

The Hispanic vote in Texas will continue to increase. By 2024 Democrats can win Texas, Arizona and Florida. A big blue wall of 78 electoral votes. https://t.co/6FT0NJyjyP

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 23, 2018

It should go without saying that if immigrants assimilate and become “just like the rest of us” they will no more vote uniformly Democratic than do Irish or Italians or any other wave of immigration that once voted as their ward heeler told them to do.

So what do Democrats really believe?

Image: By Lewis W. Hine(Life time: 1874-1940) – Original publication: Photo-studyImmediate source: Brooklyn Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51292180

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