Houston: We Have the Perception of an Immigrant Problem

‘They’ want to keep them all out and the ‘others’ want to let them all in

B Kean
6 min readMay 18

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Photo by SIMON LEE on Unsplash

From space, you might not be able to notice it but more humans are on the move right now than at any time since World War II.

Most countries in the world are dealing with “moving humans” and most countries are trying to figure out where to put them and how to incorporate their talents and energy into the economy without upsetting the “native” residents. If all of this was happening in a vacuum, then the actions of governments, both at the local and federal levels, would in a lot of cases be more positive than negative.

Unfortunately, though, there are media empires, and political parties that not only make lots of money scaring people about the negatives, which are often imagined, side effects of immigration but they also nurture hate, fear, and misunderstanding to seize power in countries.

Once in power, the freedoms that make the democracies so enticing for the desperate migrants are chipped away. By creating a more violent and bleak reality, those fascist elements drive politics even further to the right thus making any rational discussion about immigration utterly impossible. Few actually make the distinction that the problem is not immigration but illegal immigration. This is the rhetoric that drives the Republicans. The following excerpt comes from the House Oversight Committee’s webpage.

The Biden Administration ignited the worst border crisis in American history and placed U.S. Border Patrol agents’ lives at risk by removing deterrent-focused immigration policies and border enforcement tools (Border Patrol Chiefs).

Again, unfortunately, that is where we are today in the United States. Between the lies, rhetoric, and overall xenophobia of right-wing media, the entire Republican Party, and its adherents, Democrats too are forced into extreme views. So as not to be seen as xenophobic, racist, or insensitive, Democrats are rarely willing to consider anything that slows the flow of migrants into the country.

This position too, is wrong, and not productive. There is a problem with immigration in our country. Legal immigration, depending on where you are…

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B Kean

The past holds the answers to today’s problems. “Be curious, not judgmental,” at least until you have all the facts. Think and stop watching cable news.