… I believe the anti-immigration movement in America is one of our most serious public problems. And Washington is only making the problem worse. The anti-immigration movement can be seen in legislation passed by Congress and the President. It can be seen in the negative attitudes being expressed by many of the politicians in America today.… And it can be seen in a growing sense of unease in the American workforce that somehow there aren't enough jobs to go around.
But the immigration issue is not being discussed in places where it really should be most visible. For example, immigration was not mentioned in last Sunday's Presidential debate. And that's unfortunate.… America needs an open and frank discussion about immigration. This critical issue should be decided in public debate, not behind closed doors in Washington.
I am speaking out because I believe that a threat to immigration can be a threat to the future of our country. Just as they did in years past, immigrants today revitalize and reinvigorate the culture and economy of our cities and states. But history also shows that America goes through periods—like the one we're in today—where people become fearful of immigration.
In 1923, an anti-immigration song was published in New York called "Close the Gates!" The lyrics went like this:
Close the gates of our nation,
Lock them firm and strong!
Before this mob from Europe,
Shall drag our colors down.
Unfortunately, this kind of fear mongering often works. One year later, in 1924, Congress passed new immigration quotas, severely restricting the flow of new arrivals, especially from Italy, Greece, and eastern Europe. Immigration from China and Japan was effectively banned altogether. Commenting on the 1924 quota law, the New York Times said, "America the melting pot comes to an end."
Today, about 100 million Americans are descended from the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. And millions more are descended from the immigrants who disembarked in Boston, beginning with the Puritans in 1630. Between 1880 and 1930, over 500,000 Italians entered America through Boston. Between 1830 and 1930, over 700,000 Irish arrived in Boston.
A member of my staff, Clark Whelton, has special reason to be grateful to Boston's historic role as a haven for new Americans. In 1848, his great-grandparents escaped the potato famine in Ireland and found new homes in Boston. Although they worked hard, they never had much money. But their only son, Daniel A. Whelton, became Mayor of Boston in 1905.
That's the magic of immigration.… That's the magic of America. That same magic has worked for many of us.
My grandfather, Rodolfo Giuliani, arrived in New York City without much money in his pocket, but with a dream in his heart. And his dream of freedom and success became my dream. His dream of opportunity and achievement was shared by millions of immigrants from every part of the world. Their dreams transformed New York City, and Boston, and Los Angeles. Their dreams became the American dream.
Each one of us owes so much to immigration. That's why anti-immigration movements eventually die out. In the past we have always returned to the recognition that new Americans are good for our country. We realize that any effort to eliminate immigration or unfairly burden immigrants could destroy the very process that is the key to American success.
America became the most successful nation in history because of our constant process of re-evaluation, reform and revitalization, a process that is driven by immigrants who come here to create better lives for themselves and their children. We are constantly being reinvented, not just by the free flow of ideas but by the free flow of people. This process has really defined the United States. It makes us what we are.
Abraham Lincoln said that Americans are not bound together by a common race, religion, or ethnicity, but by their agreement on a set of principles centered on a strong belief in equality, democracy and opportunity. But sometimes our belief in those principles weakens. Today America is once again going through a period where it doubts that we need new people. In periods like this, fear prevails over optimism. Self-doubt prevails over confidence. Americans begin to think that our country is too crowded. When they see new people, they see problems.
I don't share that pessimism. When I see new people, I see new opportunities. I would like to take you to Kennedy Airport—which in many ways is the Ellis Island of today—and show you people coming to America from many different parts of the world.
In some ways they may look different and speak differently than the millions who came through Ellis Island. But the look in their eyes is the same. You can see in their eyes the same determination. You can see that they are looking for a chance to build new lives in a country that provides freedom and opportunity. And they are exactly what America needs today.
They help our country tremendously. They help us with the work they do; they challenge us with new ideas, and with new perspectives. They remind us how lucky we are, and that America is something special. Basically, new immigrants to America are no different than the old immigrants to America. And the anti-immigration movement now sweeping America is no different than earlier anti-immigration movements.
We need only look back at the "Know-Nothing" movement that swept America in the mid-nineteenth century. The "Know-Nothings" encouraged Americans to fear foreigners and stop immigration. No part of our country was immune from this hysteria. Even Massachusetts—birthplace of the American revolution—was gripped by a fear of foreigners.
In 1855, a young Irish immigrant named Mary Williams and her infant daughter Bridget were charged with the crime of poverty, and forcibly returned to Ireland. Even though she was not a pauper, and had never been a public charge, her passage back to Ireland—which cost $12—was paid by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With her on the boat—also against their will—went thirty-five other immigrants. A reporter for the Boston Daily Advertiser called Mary Williams "a victim of know-nothing intolerance."
But it was also in 1855 that one of America's greatest leaders had the courage to stand up and oppose the "Know-Nothings." He was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln lamented the state of a nation that began with the phrase "all men are created equal."
"When the know-nothings get control," Lincoln wrote, "it will read: all men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics. If the Know-Nothings come to power," continued Lincoln, "I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy."
Abraham Lincoln was not solely a romantic about the value of immigration, and neither am I. The fact is, immigration makes economic sense. Immigrants work hard. In New York City, foreign-born males are 10% more likely to be employed than native-born males. Foreign-born women are employed at the same rate as native-born women.
In New York City, immigrants own businesses in higher percentages than other Americans. And immigrants in New York City are 10% less likely than native-born Americans to be on public assistance. The fact is, immigrants are achievers. Nationwide, immigrants account for 50% of all professors of engineering. Immigrants account for 21% of all U.S. physicians. Immigrants are net contributors to our economy. They are creators of wealth. They pay their own way.
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