Immigration: Impact on Culture

When he began his campaign for president in 2016, Donald Trump accused Mexico of sending its criminals, drug dealers and rapists to the U.S. Since then he has continued his anti-immigrant rhetoric, insisting that illegal immigrants “coming from prisons, from mental institutions from all over the world” are “poisoning the blood of our nation.” Critics have noted that the term “blood poisoning” was used by Hitler in “Mein Kampf” to identify the cause of the demise of all great cultures in the past. Trump has consistently called the influx of immigrants an “invasion” suggesting an attack on our American way of life, and has even suggested that “undocumented immigrants are not people but are animals.”

White supremacists typically describe immigration in apocalyptic terms as an ultimate life and death struggle to maintain the American way of life. For instance, David Duke the former head of the Ku Klux Klan declared “massive immigration threatens the continued existence of our very genotype” and “our way of life in the United States.” Duke also claimed Mexico and other third world countries are “dumping their chaff on to American shores” that sounds a “funeral dirge for the America we love.”

On the other hand, many prominent immigrants have made positive contributions to American culture. For example, Frank Capra (1897-1991) an Italian Catholic immigrant made an impact on the movie industry with films like “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1947) that highlighted the decency of the common American. Albert Einstein (1879-1955), a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany forever changed the way we understand space and time and encouraged many young American scientists to pursue careers in quantum studies.

Many immigrants from Latin America have become stars in American major league baseball, most prominently Miguel Cabrera one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. Born in Venezuela, Cabrera came to the U.S. in 2003 at the age of 20, playing five seasons with the Florida Marlins and 16 with the Detroit Tigers where he made his home and contributed to the community through his foundation that has helped many kids to achieve their dreams. Miguel who always played the game with youthful enthusiasm and a playful spirit, often bantering with players and fans, serves as a reminder to our commercialized sports culture that athletics are a form of leisure activity with intrinsic value that should be fun and uplifting.

Noting these celebrated immigrants invites us to recall the many unsung immigrants who have enriched our national culture in important ways: sacrificing so that their children could receive a good education adding diversity to our school system; participating in the political process that strengthens our democracy; being a good neighbor that fosters a sense of community; and practicing their faith tradition that enhances the moral fiber of our culture.

In his encyclical Fratelli tutti (n 129-153), Pope Francis argues that immigration can be mutually beneficial, enriching both cultures. The pope invites us to see an encounter between two cultures as a what we might call a “gift exchange.” Noting that nations are always at risk of succumbing to “cultural sclerosis,” the pope urges us to open our hearts to those who are different” and to see “differences” as an opportunity to grow in mutual respect (n 134). A country that welcomes immigrants while remaining solidly grounded in its original cultural tradition is a treasure for the whole of humanity” (n 137).

Do I think immigration harms or helps American culture?