SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO THE IMMIGRATION PUZZLE

Welcome to Post #3 in a series: 2018, The Year of the People.  Today we seek solutions to the immigration puzzle. Keep in mind that for people in sending nations it's the "emigration puzzle."

Naturalization ceremony at the Oakton High School in Virginia, December 2015. 

U.S.Department of Labor via Wikipedia. Photo In the public domain.

First, consider the immigration puzzle. It's for real.

• Populations are growing far more rapidly in poor nations than in developed nations.
• People in poor nations suffer from human rights violations, poverty, illness, and competition for very limited social and natural resources. 
• Most people in receiving nations, whether wealthy or poor, perceive the immigrant share of the population as higher than statistics show.. 
• Many think that the immigration tide is rising.  (To the contrary, European statistics demonstrate lower numbers in recent years.)
• Researchers warn that global demographic shifts could cause right wing political power increases. (This has already happened in the U.S.)  Democracies, always fragile, are threatened.

Now consider current ascendant solutions for limiting freedom of movement from one nation to another:

• Employ border camps (Europe), 
• Build an impenetrable border wall (U.S.)

But realize that (more humane) solutions are available.

• Launch a Global War on Poverty. this is a rational, moral step.
• Aid poor nations in building stable, self-supporting populations in poor nations. Also rational and moral.
• Example: expand the American Peace Corps program worldwide, the Chinese agricultural development programs in Africa, and human rights campaigns globally. Boost Peace Corps.
• Get serious about stopping destructive fighting in Syria, Yemen and in many nations around the perimeter of the Sahara. The general rule: war (irrational, generally immoral) creates refugee immigrants. 
• Learn what your creative neighbors and religious leaders are doing. 

Now apply this ancient commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Book of Leviticus, later endorsed and articulated again by Jesus. In an interconnected global society this commandment makes everyone alive a neighbor of everyone else. The love commandment means my neighbor, next door and next continent.

Another ancient moral command: "Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you." Consider this ancient advice in the new global context. The immigrant and the would-be immigrant are my neighbors.

LEARN what your creative religious and socially responsible leaders are already doing. An inspiring story: Tacoma Community House.    This is slow but fantastically successful.

CONSIDER your family's case. Example: my personal family experience: my great-great-grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from German-speaking countries in the nineteenth century. After disembarking in New York, they moved on to Minnesota and Wisconsin, then to Kansas, and finally my great-grandparents farmed in Eastern and Central Washington State in the 1860's and 1870's. The children of these farmers mainly moved to cities as educators and business people. I know that tt took time to adjust from immigrant to citizen. My parents told me so.

Explore a contemporary story of immigration.  "After 29 Years, Can I Call Myself an American?" 

What are your ideas? Post them in a comment, and in your own language if you wish.

You will gain gain a realistic picture immigration and emigration from the links below and you can easily search for more.

Further reading:

See why Nicaragua is a sending nation.

Read successes and problems in a West Africa nation: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/cote-divoire

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/02/world/europe/angela-merkel-migration-coalition.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/20/business/economy/immigration-economic-impact.html

https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/life_and_culture/erry-2018/07/70c2d4e7441288/im_an_american_now_or_so_they.html


Express yourself where it counts. Write to your U.S. representative.

        https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Write to your U.S. Senators.

         https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Write to your national leader. In the U.S. it's the President.

         https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/