A little learning is a dangerous thing.
– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism.
Since late 2015, then presidential candidate Donald Trump began pushing for the construction of a border wall along the southern border with Mexico. With throngs of supporters chanting “build the wall!” at his rallies, the border wall became an early iconic symbol for his campaign… in more ways than intended.
Trump’s stated aim was to curb the claimed tide of illegal immigrants crossing over the border into the United States. He broadly described them in nefarious terms when he accused Mexico, without evidence, of sending people who are bringing drugs and crime, as well as rapists.[1] He also claimed he would make Mexico pay for it.
This stance has certainly touched a nerve with Republicans. The vast majority of them worried “a great deal or a fair amount” about illegal immigration in the few years leading up to the 2016 presidential election.[2] Conservative media and popular opinions abound with widespread fears of criminal hordes from Mexico invading the United States. They’re taking jobs away from legal US citizens, and stealing by avoiding taxes and taking government benefits, or so the story goes. And, it is believed, the Obama administration has poorly secured the border and, along with liberals more broadly, all but invited the nefarious criminals to come here.
This series on immigration aims to shed light on border immigration with a fact-based revelation on the truth about illegal immigration and the border wall. It will bust the popular mythos that most Republicans believe to be true, revealing the truth behind both it and the right-wing propaganda which has aided and abetted their belief in this false narrative. Being thoroughly misinformed, they lack comprehension of the real border situation and a rational basis for determining what should be done about it. Instead of voting for a solution to a real problem, they’ve fallen for a con man with no understanding or competence at handling the situation whatsoever. As a result, instead of resolving an imaginary crisis, this administration and its supporters have created a very real and very dangerous crisis.
In the next article, I will begin to unravel the illegal immigrant mythos by starting with the basic facts about immigration.
Sources
[1] Suzanne Gamboa, “Donald Trump Announces Presidential Bid By Trashing Mexico, Mexicans,” NBC News, June 16, 2015, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/donald-trump-announces-presidential-bid-trashing-mexico-mexicans-n376521 (accessed Aug. 16, 2020).
[2] Jeffrey M. Jones, “In U.S., Worry About Illegal Immigration Steady,” Gallup, Mar. 20, 2017, https://news.gallup.com/poll/206681/worry-illegal-immigration-steady.aspx (accessed Aug. 16, 2020).
What's Wrong? 