Why Immigration Should Matter to White American Society

Why exactly should immigration matter to White people? It simply should. Immigration is a natural process. In my ideal utopia, I would end this piece on that, but of course, for the sake of immigration advocacy I will continue. And no, white people should not only care about immigration because of their “significant contributions” to the economy. Caring about immigrants, undocumented people, and families of mixed statues should be based on the simple fact that they are human beings and therefore deserving of basic human rights. Reality shock: America is a nation of immigrants.

Dear white people, you are all immigrants as well. You don’t need an Ancestry DNA test to see that other than the native peoples of the Americas, every single one of your ancestors came here from somewhere else. Some came by choice, some by necessity, and others by force.

At some point in grade school, we were taught a narrative that began with Christopher Columbus “discovering” the new continent. In reality, the already well-inhabited new world was stolen from the indigenous people of this place. Then our educational system fed us with the idea of Manifest Destiny to justify the killing of indigenous peoples.

The cursed irony when “go back to your country” is shouted by someone whose ancestors also immigrated to this nation. We continue to appraise the nation’s founders in such high esteem for their brave acts. European immigrants (yes I said immigrants) praised for leaving their homes behind in search of a better place for their descendants, for a place where they could live free from religious oppression And yet, here we are in the year 2023. Still living in an America that denies its own heritage when it negates the importance and naturalization of immigration. White folks should care about immigrants because they continue to benefit (willingly or unwillingly) from a system that benefits from the labor of immigrants. Just as profit, patriotism and freedom were behind European conquest and colonialism, so is the current 20th-century imperialism. It is colonialism disguised in the idea of “making America great again.”

It is not a secret that many immigrants are here as a direct result of imperialism destabilizing their home countries. For many years, the U.S. has interfered in the governments of foreign nations, specifically in Central America, leaving many people to seek refuge and a safer place up north. In a nation that is happy to employ foreign workers, exploitable labor continues to prevail. You don’t have to look far to notice this, simply take a look at your kitchen table. The American agriculture, which we all consume, eat and benefit from is dependent on immigrants. This is not to say there aren't any white folks that care about immigrants and immigration, because there is. For those allies to the immigrant community; Are you creating safe, autonomous spaces for people of color and immigrants to be able to prosper and succeed, as a white ally are your efforts intentional? 

If your answer is yes, then you can probably see what is wrong with Kelly Osbourne shitty commentary on the talk show “The View” where she was trying to ‘“advocate” for immigrants and said, “If you kick out Latinos, who’s going to clean your toilets?” Don’t be Kelly Osbourne. These “liberal” arguments are no better than the racial slurs made by President Donald Trump, whose wife is an immigrant from Slovenia.

Overall, these types of statements identify the acceptance of immigrants solely to be vanquished by the production of their work in this country. It perpetuate stereotypes and racist ideas by feeding a framework that is only benefitting white nationalist and capitalist business interests. The question here is: would you still support immigration even if immigrants weren’t going to do jobs Americans didn’t want to do?