“Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans — liberty-loving risk takers in search of an ideal — the largest voluntary migrations in recorded history. Across the Pacific, across the Atlantic, they came from every point on the compass — many passing beneath the Statue of Liberty — with fear and vision, with sorrow and adventure, fleeing tyranny or terror, seeking haven, and all seeking hope. … Immigration is not just a link to America’s past; it’s also a bridge to America’s future.”
These words were uttered at the signing of the Immigration Act of 1990 by the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, who died one week ago. In the days and swirl of activities after his death, President Bush was remembered across the aisles and divides of ideology, partisanship and the media as a man of “character” (to quote Fox News) and “integrity” (to quote The Washington Post). And, while there are healthy debates on the successes and shortcomings of President Bush’s actions and what his legacy will be, I lament the fact that, today, we lack men and women of character and integrity in the Executive Office of the President making consequential decisions about U.S. immigration.
As I and those that I vehemently disagree with (e.g., the Harvard economist, George Borjas) will tell anyone who will listen, discussions and debates about U.S. immigrants, immigration and immigration policy must start with the very simple recognition that immigrants are people — often facing incredible hardships — seeking to do the best for themselves, their children and their families against a backdrop of widening inequality, both globally and within the U.S. With this as the starting point, say what you will about issues like the economic impacts of immigration (which, according to a 2017 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, are net-positive), men and women of character and integrity neither promote nor sit idly by as immigrants, including young children, are, to take a recent example at the U.S.-Mexico border, denied their rights as refugees under international law and tear-gassed in the process for doing what any person in their position would do — namely, ask for help.
It is a truly sad time in this country when we are seemingly unable and/or unwilling to put ourselves in the shoes of others. Instead, assumptions, myths and misinformation about immigrants and immigration are routinely and increasingly manifested in acrimonious political debates, news stories and sound bites, and in our daily conversations and interactions with one another in the very communities in which we live and work. At the same time, President Bush was right: immigrants and immigration were, are, and will continue to be an essential and vibrant part of our lived experience as individuals and communities, Minnesotans and Americans, and global citizens.
This is why I am leading a two-year Interdisciplinary Collaborative Workshop, “Migration and Migrants in Terrifying Times,” at the U of M. On Thursday, December 13, I and the 100+ faculty, staff, students and community practitioners and members that have been meeting this semester will be holding an end-of-the-semester event from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Coffman Theater in Coffman Memorial Union at the U of M. This event is free and open to the public, and will feature two keynote speakers: Daniel González, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on “The Wall: Unknown Stories, Unintended Consequences,” and Matthew Hall, a demographer and sociologist who is an expert on immigration, legal status and inequality. Taking President Bush’s words seriously, I therefore invite members of the community to join us for this event toward reclaiming and celebrating immigrants and immigration as a vital link to America’s past and a critical bridge to its future.
Jack DeWaard is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer.
