How did we get from this?
It was from an event in 1980, when both men were competing for the Republican nomination for president.
An audience member asked the candidates whether they thought the children of undocumented immigrants should be allowed to attend public school for free.
Bush went first. “I would like to see something done about the illegal alien problem that would be so sensitive and understanding about labor needs and human needs,” he said, adding that undocumented immigrants should receive “what the society is giving to their neighbors.”
“We are creating a whole society of really honorable, decent, family-loving people that are in violation of the law; and, secondly we are exacerbating relationships with Mexico,” he continued. “These are good people, strong people.”
Reagan wasn’t going to be outdone in the compassion department.
“I think the time has come that the United States and our neighbors, particularly our neighbor to the south, should have a better understanding and a better relationship than we have ever had,” he began. “Why don’t we work out some recognition of our mutual problems?”
Reagan added, for good measure: “Open the border both ways.”
New York Times 1-24-24
To this
Trump repeated the claim on Truth Social on Saturday night, saying in all caps, “Illegal immigration is poisoning the blood of our nation. They’re coming from prisons, from mental institutions — from all over the world.”
NBC News
How did we get to millions of fellow citizens accepting this level of lies and hate? Why do Americans believe the terrorists, diseased, lazy rhetoric not backed up by facts?
Who created this xenophobia modeled after the worst human of the 20th century?
Totally open borders? Of course not, but we can’t keep yelling about closing the border or kicking undocumented immigrants out either.
We need immigrants. We need an immigration system that works for the US and with a measure of compassion.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
The dynamic on the economy and on the border is the same, if problems get fixed that’s bad for Trump so Republicans would rather see people suffer.
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America has been a crazy place since the Pilgrims. Read ‘Fantasyland’ by Kurt Anderson or ‘American Psychosis’ by David Corn or ‘The Destructionists’ for the history of how we got to where we are today.
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Due largely to an unexpected surge in immigration, the U.S. economy will be about $7 trillion larger – & federal revenues about $1T bigger – the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday
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I think you might have said it somewhere…. but with all the help wanted signs, and companies needing to find more workers – Immigration can be part of the solution and get these people to be a contributing part of society. The immigrants I have personally known (from Mexico, the Philippines, S. Viet Nam) have all been very industrious and had an incredible strong worth ethic. Smith Smallwood
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Many, including some who have commented here on this topic, raise valid points about the laxity in enforcing laws concerning border crossing, but without impugning the character of the immigrants who are coming in illegally. Trump, however, makes the not-so-subtle allegation that the immigrants are “tainting our blood”. I understand that realists think there are times when one must “hold his nose” and vote for a candidate they dislike, but whose policies they prefer. But surely there are limits to how far one can go following this line of reasoning!
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Never have two groups been capable of a more mutually beneficial arrangement than potential immigrants and people about to be swallowed up by our Long Term Care crisis. But the latter got Fox News brain poisoned and will sit in diapers full of shit because of it. It’s very sad
If you want a vision of the future, imagine boomers voting for anti-immigration candidates and then dying alone in poorly staffed nursing homes… forever
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I can’t imagine that immigrants are rushing here to get a minimum wage job just to change your diapers.
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And that same lack of imagination explains your complete lack of empathy for economic migrants and refugees.
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We can’t imagine the life they are fleeing either.
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Look, there really is no issue as the Pres. Biden and his party now realize there is a crisis on the border. All he has to do, if he feels there is a crisis, is reverse with the stroke of a pen, many of the 64 executive orders he reversed in the first few months of 2021. That would be a big first step.
Biden could care less about the mess he made as this was all about November and the election. He creates issues and then he claims he can solve the problem. And we are all to forget 2021 and those orders.
Remember when he decided to buy the votes of college grads with debts? Court said no, but they are still looking to work around that ruling. They are obsessed with transferring the cost to the working man and woman. Think he will do everything he can to close the border after this legislative loss?
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Here is a good summary of immigration law changes, not much indicating an open border though, but easier legal access. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/01/11/key-facts-about-u-s-immigration-policies-and-bidens-proposed-changes/
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Thanks for the information. It looks like a good summary, and I will go over it thoroughly as this is a hot button issue for me.
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thanks for the summary–
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We need to pass the border bill now that Republican extremists keep blocking. It increases legal immigration and helps the Border Patrol act more effectively against illegals immigration.
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No you don’t–just reverse the executive orders that created the mess in 2021–old Joe is like the fireman who lights a fire and then let’s us know it’s his job to put out the flames–cause the problem and then try to fix it.
The only reasons old Joe acted was fear of losing the election and his Democrat mayors are as fed up as the border towns were since he created the problem. Just took the Gov. of Texas to ship north the illegals.
Can’t wait to see the millions that flood across (1,000,000 since 10/01/23) and the old guy tell us he is helpless to do anything. What a hoot!
I heard today that that he will not be criminally responsible for the documents he secreted out of the skiff (how in hell did he do that?) while in the Senate. Or the ones in his garage accessible to his drug addicted son, but the Special Prosecutor commented on his mental acuity. Listen and read about this report and then how fast can you say; Shellie Obama or slick Gavin Newsome.
To my lefty friends I have said for months now Gavin should have a bumper sticker that reads: “I’ll do for 49 states what I did to California”. Where can we run if Gavin wins?
My lefty friends wanted to go to Canada if Trump won. I asked them why not Mexico with the brown folks?
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Perhaps the Vice President will go to the border now. Don’t wait for it!
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The first 2 comments are quite good–it has gotten out of hand this illegal migration–even Al Sharpton is calling it an “invasion”–sometimes these issue just grow and grow and then they pop—sort of like the George Floyd issue in 2020–all of sudden there is the realization of unequal policing and all haites breaks loose.
Xenophobia? Using a term like that is not helpful as most Americans are welcoming to legal immigrants–it’s the illegal entry into the country that is the issue. Even that would have gone under the radar as Democrats and the main stream media (one in the same) were doing their best to avoid any reporting or legislation. The so called “stunts” which moved the illegals to the sanctuary locales was the George Floyd of immigration.
All of a sudden 80,000 illegals in NYC was seen as overwhelming while border communities were overwhelmed without a concern by our elites. Once the big talkers got a taste of what others had to experience we saw that issue move to #1 in the polls.
Once Biden and his folks realized the election in November could hinge on this issue they decided they had to act. The reversal of many policies by executive order had fueled the current drama but they would be too embarrassed to reinstate a number of Trump edicts, thus the current legislation.
Lies and hate? I saw lots of video last night of Biden–Harris–Mayorkas–telling us the border is closed–three years of lies and we all knew it. Maybe lies breed a measure of hate.
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I disagree. Americans are not welcoming legal immigrants (from the Southern border), they make little distinction. Big problem, yes. Should be legal, yes! But changing the label from illegal to legal doesn’t mean much practically. Some illegals have been here for many years and nobody knows the difference.
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“I disagree. Americans are not welcoming legal immigrants (from the Southern border), they make little distinction….” I beg to differ. The problem is unchecked waves of people coming across the border, yes unchecked. You seem to think that is no big deal. Maybe if you lived in a border state, you would think differently. People have adjusted to immigrants here over the years but not forced marches of thousands hitting the boders daily. If I look out into my backyard and see one person walking across it, it wouldn’t mean much but if I saw 100 marching across I would be saying “what the hell” this has to stop. I live in Georgia and legal and illegal immigrants have been here in large numbers and nobody thought much about it but when even the woke MSM starts showing the waves of humanity crossing then we all start to say “what the hell is bringing this on.” Your tarring all Americans as xenophobic and isolationist and uncaring about immigrants is uncalled for.
There has been unrest and maltreatment of people in other countries for longer than I have been alive. Why now is it a good idea for them to all troop over the border in waves. Something is causing this or it would have been a problem forever. Ignoring it is not the answer and trashing people who see it as a problem is not the answer.
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It is certainly a big deal and poorly handled and politicized by both parties. “Tainting our blood”
Remember how the legal Irish and Italian immigrants were treated?
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I get it that Irish/Italian immigrants were not greeted with open arms, neither were Puerto Ricans or even earlier the Chinese. People are tribal and have been forever. Eventually they get along. I don’t have any sense that is happening now though. I suspect it’s more of a suspicion of the elite.
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I live in a metro area with a large % of immigrants and you read or hear of little or no hatred or dislike about these folks. Immigrants are victims of crimes not because they are foreign born, in my opinion, but because they do the gig jobs. The Uber drivers–the pizza delivery folks, the people having my paper on my porch at 5:30 AM. These folks are susceptible to crime and they experience it.
It’s the elite slinging around the terms racist–bigots–xenophobia who are helpful in spreading the hatred. The question we hear by some on this site is: “why now–why the sudden interest in this issue of illegal immigration”? Sounds political to me.
My grandparents came from Italy–but they came legally–had to have a sponsor. Yes, there was definitely anti Italian/Irish sentiment. It happens everywhere just check out the issues in the European Union now that migrants have flooded in from the Middle East.
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Wouldn’t it be nice to show a bit of empathy toward the folks who are dealing with this “invasion” (Rev. Al’s description)–seems as if you see out of one lens–folks in the border towns have been dealing with this for years and all they get are folks saying they should be more welcoming to those pouring over the border.
Mayor of Denver said last night or this morning they can’t take any more migrants–they are full up. Is he an example of your “not welcoming”? Are the students at James Madison High in NYC “not welcoming” when the Mayor shut it down to learning for a period of time?
And all along I thought the sanctuary folks were warm and welcoming. Now I hear the word “deport” from Eric Adams and the NY Gov.. How things change when they come to your neighborhood.
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No question we can use some immigrants to shore up the lack of young workers. How many can we offer employment to and how much housing do we have for them and their families right now? Healthcare and classroom space for their children that come with them? These are all considerations that aren’t being addressed by the come one and come all, the sooner the better crowd.
There are more people who would come here then we can digest as a nation and still be the country we know now. Cries of xenophobia aren’t helpful while ignoring the problems I just mentioned. Trump is taking advantage of what was handed to him by people who won’t see the problems we are setting ourselves up for by ignoring the situation.
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We need legal immigration and the government to enforce the laws that are already in place. to state the obvious a (likely) small but very dangerous % are crossing with ill intent – sex trafficking, drugs – Fentanyl killing Americans, gangs, and terrorist. Insame how weak this Admin has been to the detriment of all Americans.
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You should move to where I live. We have no terrorists, fentanyl, or gang violence, but you also can’t get a plumber or carpenter to save your life. I would love get some of those immigrants here
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Send an email to Governor Abbot and tell him your city needs help and your labor problems will be solved in short order.
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