Of all the changes in American politics in recent decades, none has hit me harder and disheartened me more than the growing hostility and resentment toward migrants.
I am an American by choice, an immigrant, and a proud New Yorker. So, seeing the images of migrants in tents hits close to home.
My family fled the civil war in Sri Lanka when I was four years old. We landed in Los Angeles and lived as undocumented immigrants for roughly a decade. In a sense, I was a “dreamer” before President Obama gave the designation to “alien minors” under the DREAM Act.
Conveying the intensity of this lived experience to native-born American citizens is nearly impossible. It sears. It defines. It echoes still.
Enthusiastically, Optimistically American
I am unabashedly patriotic and sentimental toward the American Dream—toward a nation that is a beacon and magnet for those who seek opportunity. Optimism is not an anomaly for Americans, it is expected.
The complexity of immigration, however, is not lost on me. The inconsistent migratory cross-border flows, the nuanced legal categories, the inequality of options available to the rich and poor, the subjective interpretations of asylum claims, and the endless buck-passing—all have far-reaching implications, and they are interdependent.
The template for relief of the most glaring problems facing America’s major cities is ready at hand, if not politically palatable: more federal funding for cities, a faster track for work permits, and more expeditious rulings on whether people who have crossed our border can stay.
Still, given that illegal immigration is a long-term structural issue—not just a made-for-television demagoguery drama—several overarching questions come to mind.
Tapping Resources Beyond the US Budget
If the logjam of processing illegal immigrants at the border is a crisis issue, why aren’t we investing more in interdiction and processing within transit countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador?
Resources beyond the US budget are available.
Recent evaluations of the multilateral development banks have found that they have been too conservative or slow to adopt new tools. They are sitting on billions—perhaps as much as $80 billion—in lending headroom for both public and private investments.
If China can use its development banks to foster stability and create economic opportunity with its Belt-and-Road Initiative, why should Western nations be any less strategic?
Perhaps it is time to make migration a higher priority of the multilateral development bank agenda. If these institutions can spring into action with innovative solutions and billions of dollars for natural disaster relief, they should be able to step up their game on migration.
Matching Skills to Needs
Another question: Why we are not doing more to find broader, national solutions; and instead continue to simply expect border states and major cities to bear the brunt of the effort and costs.
The end of the Vietnam War triggered one of the largest and longest refugee crises in world history. The United States response was far from perfect or uniform. However, the federal government did steer refugees toward regions and occupations that might prove a good match for their skills.
Vietnamese shrimping families, for example, were resettled in Gulf Coast states where they could resume the occupation they knew best. The going was rough, and the reception was sometimes hostile. But over the long run these families helped revitalize their newfound communities. In some of these communities, Vietnamese now constitute anywhere from 45 percent to 80 percent of the shrimpers.
American industries ranging from trucking to personal care to retail food are facing labor shortages. In the age of big data and artificial intelligence, shouldn’t it be possible to more closely match the skills of immigrants with the needs of specific communities beyond the border states?
Leadership, leadership, leadership
Dealing with the nuts and bolts of illegal immigration does not win votes for politicians. This is where leadership comes in. America needs the Republican Party to make a clear and unequivocal statement in next year’s party platform that articulates its views on immigration.
The Democratic Party needs to step up its game, too. It is hypocritical to criticize border states for mishandling immigrants without offering pragmatic solutions that share the burden.
The American Dream
I know firsthand the power of the American Dream. We can see it every day on television, as struggling families risk their lives to reach our borders and shores.
I have seen another angle, too. As someone who has worked with diplomats at the United Nations and become their friends, I have witnessed a fascinating phenomenon over and over.
Even those who arrive in America with financial resources, elite educations, and job opportunities elsewhere become captivated by America. When they see the dynamism, and almost blind optimism of Americans up close, they are more than charmed. They are sold on it for life, and they decide to stay.
We cannot afford to lose that unique power of the American dream.
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