The conventional wisdom among America’s academic, corporate, media and political elites is that open borders and mass immigration are noble objectives.
In recent decades, the left has made idols of “diversity” and “multiculturalism.” The “melting pot” has been replaced by the “salad bowl,” and “assimilation” has become a bad word, often equated with racism.
For decades we have allowed millions of people into the country from parts of the world where the values of genuine tolerance and religious liberty are foreign concepts. Without hesitation we have assumed that those coming to America share American ideals and values, that they leave cultural biases behind in their native countries. As Europe is discovering, that is not always the case.
A recent survey by the University of Teacher Education in Vienna, Austria, found that nearly half of young Muslim migrants held anti-Semitic views. It is no coincidence that the United Kingdom is experiencing record levels of immigration and record levels of anti-Semitism. These findings should set off alarm bells for policy makers in the United States.
The progressive left has embraced open borders as part of its strategy to fundamentally transform America. Left-wing groups like “Naturalize Now!” and “Mi Familia,” joined by big city Democrat politicians, are pushing to naturalize one million new citizens by the end of the year.
It may not matter much in states such as California and New York, which are already dominated by the left. But their efforts could make a big difference in perennial swing states such as Florida.
More importantly, in a post-9/11 world the left’s ideological blindness is a prescription for disaster. Indeed, former FBI Director James Comey has testified that 300 terrorists or Islamic extremists investigated by the government have come to the U.S. as refugees.
All Western nations, including the United States, are grappling with the same question: In our compassion, are we allowing in not only terrorists but also people from cultures infected with anti-Semitism, cultures that reject Western values and hate Israel? Comey’s testimony clearly suggests the answer is yes.
Now consider the remarks of Linda Sarsour, who recently delivered a keynote address at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention:
I hope that . . . Allah accepts from us that as a form of jihad, that we are struggling against tyrants and rulers. . . here in these United States of America. . . Our number one and top priority is to protect and defend our community. It is not to assimilate and to please any other people in authority. . . And our top priority, even higher than all those other priorities, is to please Allah and only Allah.
If you are not familiar with Sarsour, you should be. She is a darling of the left, a rising progressive leader. She is also rabidly anti-Israel. She is a “feminist” who has attacked women. She has defended Sharia law, Louis Farrakhan and Palestinian terrorists.
And since she is urging other Muslims not to assimilate, presumably they share her views.
Again, we don’t have to guess at this. The research is clear. What is less clear is what our elected representatives in Congress are prepared to do about it.
Thankfully, President Trump is taking action. He has been maligned by the left and the media for demanding extreme vetting of refugees and for imposing a temporary travel ban on six jihadi-infested nations.
But our political and media elites are out of touch with the American people. Both policies are extremely popular.
A Politico poll last week found that 60% of respondents supported the president’s travel ban. Just 28% opposed it. Last year, the same poll found that 62% of voters backed the president’s idea of “extreme vetting” for immigrants. Even 61% of immigrants supported “extreme vetting.”
How many items on the GOP’s agenda command that kind of popular support? How many items are as important?
Speaking in Warsaw, Poland, President Trump delivered a bold and unapologetic defense of Western Civilization. He also defended his immigration policies, saying:
While we will always welcome new citizens who share our values and love our people, our borders will always be closed to terrorism and extremism. . . We cannot accept those who reject our values and who use hatred to justify violence.
That is not bigotry. It is common sense. And it is time we act on it.