The Founding Fathers on Immigration

by

      George Sontag

     Here are just a couple of facts about immigration and immigrants in this country:

• Most of the crimes in Texas, California, and Arizona are federal crimes, connected to illegal aliens.

• 27 percent of all Californians were not born in the United States. More than 40 million foreign-born immigrants currently reside in the U.S. -- the highest number in the nation's history.

• The Social Security Administration has told Congress that more than half a million illegal immigrants have received new Social Security numbers, under President Barack Obama’s 2012 executive action allowing younger immigrants to stay in the United States and work. Low-income immigrants with no net tax liability could gain as much as $3 in Social Security benefits for every $1 they pay into the system, which means Americans will now be subsidizing these immigrants.

      Our founders, asserted their concerns publicly and routinely about the effects of indiscriminate mass immigration. They made it clear that the purpose of allowing foreigners into our fledgling nation was not, as it is today, to recruit millions of new voters or to secure permanent ruling majorities for their political parties. It was to preserve, protect and enhance the republic they put their lives on the line to establish.

      In a 1790 House debate on naturalization, James Madison opined: "It is no doubt very desirable that we should hold out as many inducements as possible for the worthy part of mankind to come and settle amongst us, and throw their fortunes into a common lot with ours. But why is this desirable? It is to increase the wealth and strength of the community; and those who acquire the rights of citizenship, without adding to the strength or

wealth of the community are not the people we are in want of."

      This is a far cry from the rhetoric heard today from the left. Madison argued plainly that America should welcome the immigrant who could assimilate, but exclude the immigrant who could not readily "incorporate himself into our society." It was not because "diversity" is our greatest value, not because big business needed cheap labor, as Madison asserted, "Not merely to swell the catalogue of people."

 

      George Washington concurred in a letter to John Adams, similarly emphasized that immigrants should be absorbed into American life so that "by an intermixture

with our people, they, or their descendants, get assimilated to our customs, measures, laws: in a word soon become one people." That is as relevant as ever today because that is not happening. We are allowing cultures and groups to keep their own beliefs and customs, some which are repugnant and contrary to what is American. This is causing civil unrest within the country.

      Alexander Hamilton, wrote in 1802: "The safety of a republic depends essentially on the energy of a common national sentiment; on a uniformity of principles and habits; on the exemption of the citizens from foreign bias and prejudice; and on that love of country which will almost invariably be found to be closely connected with birth, education and family." Hamilton further warned that "The United States have already felt the evils of incorporating a large number of foreigners into their national mass; by promoting in different classes different predilections in favor of particular foreign nations, and antipathies against others, it has served very much to divide the community and to distract our councils. It has been often likely to compromise the interests of our own country in favor of another." These words clearly were very much against what is now called 'globalism."

 

      He predicted, correctly, that "The permanent effect of such a policy will be, that in times of great public danger there will be always a numerous body of men, of whom there may be just grounds of distrust; the suspicion alone will weaken the strength of the nation, but their force may be actually employed in assisting an invader."

      The survival of the American Republic, Hamilton maintained, depends upon "the preservation of a national spirit and a national character." He asserted, "To admit foreigners indiscriminately to the rights of citizens the moment they put foot in our country would be nothing less than to admit the Trojan horse into the citadel of our liberty and sovereignty. While billions of immigrants may benefit by moving to this country, this nation state has only one responsibility. We must decide if such an admission complies with our law and serves our national interest."