A recent article in The New Republic looked at what are the causes of anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. More specifically, the piece from John B. Judis claimed that immigrants are seen by some as scapegoats for the effects of globalization on a faltering U.S. economy. In addition, the Wall Street Journal’s analysis of the article observed that:
Along with economic grievances, the movement against immigrants also reflects “a loss of confidence in the cohesion and resilience of the American nation,” says Mr. Judis. Polls show a rising number of people think the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction and that sense of decline makes the backlash against immigrants even stronger, says Mr. Judis. The fear is that immigrants will undermine national unity just when it is needed most.So what do you think? Is Judis spot-on or is there more than meets the eye with anti-immigrant views in the U.S.?
Image- World Maps Online
Sources- Wall Street Journal, The New Republic
I don't see anything wrong with this analysis except that (with just what I read here) it might be too simple. The rising sentiment against immigrants is a complicated issue that hits people different ways. I live in Indiana, for example, and my feeling is that the anti-immigrant contingent here is worse in urban areas where various immigrant groups self-segregate into ethnic enclaves. This separation, while done to make living in a new place easier, safer, and more familiar also highlights the "big differences" between anglos and Latinos (or anglos and Burmese; or anglos and heck, everybody else).
ReplyDeleteOnce the difference is highlighted it's easy to say "they." They are taking our jobs. They drive down property values. They commit crimes. They drive drunk. They have disease. Or whatever.
In rural areas (and it's Indiana, we have plenty) the backlash hasn't been as bad. (From what I can tell.) Many Indiana farming communities would have shut down without immigrants. New factories have been built in small Indiana towns because of the promise of skilled manufacturing immigrant labor. But, while immigration has financially saved so those towns, the affect of immigration on those towns has been a complete dissolution of "the life they knew" which, presumably, is easier to associate with "an American way of life."
I don't think most people in Indianapolis feel that their American norms and values are being challenged by the waves of immigration (yet). And I don't think that rural Indiana feels the brunt of "the race to the bottom" as industries exploit immigrant labor and consequently drive down wages.
The urban people that live near those immigrant enclaves however, feel both. Time will tell if that group grows or shrinks as immigration continues.
But I'm a Midwestern (pro-immigrant) anglo, so what do I know?