US Needs Immigrants

US Needs Immigrants

By SAM URETSKY

I’m a decent boy just landed from the town of Ballyfad
I want a situation, yes, and wants it very bad
I seen employment advertised - “It’s just the thing, “ says I
But the dirty spalpeen ended with ‘No Irish Need Apply’

Don’t take the words of Emma Lazarus poem, “The New Colossus,” too seriously – the United States has never been particularly welcoming to immigrants. Even though historically the country was built by immigrants.

Many have come here in the hope of a better life, while many others came as refugees from nations with repressive regimes, where their lives were at risk. There have been waves of immigration, which would include those who were brought here from Africa for a life of slavery.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 6.1 million refugees and migrants have left Venezuela as a result of political turmoil, socio-economic instability and the ongoing humanitarian crisis there. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes as a result of Russian aggression. The UN refugee agency’s Global Trends report shows 27.1 million refugees and 4.6 million asylum seekers world wide. Canada, France and Spain have been far more accepting of refugees than the United States.

Here, according to a Boston Globe newsletter, “Republican governors Greg Abbott of Texas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, and Doug Ducey of Arizona think it’s absolutely hilarious that they are loading bewildered and desperate migrants onto buses and planes and dumping them in D.C. or a Democratic state as though they are nothing more than bags of trash needing disposal.” Apparently Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis hired a woman to approach the Venezuelan refugees and talk them into getting on a plane – paid for with taxpayer money – to go to a place where they could get help. Many were already scheduled to go to Washington DC which had provisions for refugees, but instead found themselves in Martha’s Vineyard, which has no such provisions.

Fortunately Massachusetts’ Governor Charlie Baker (a Republican) with federal assistance, ferried them over to Joint Base Cape Cod, complete with food, housing, medical teams, portable cell reception units, and legal teams who can help them with their next steps.

DeSantis said he plans to spend $12 million to send more migrants to northern cities.

Beyond that, DeSantis recruited refugees for his little joke in San Antonio — not Florida. He explained that these people were planning to come to Florida, and it was easier to round them up before they reached Florida.

Aside from the obvious cruelty towards these vulnerable people, the reality is that refugees and migrants, while a problem for the moment, will become an invaluable resource in the years ahead. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, “We have a lot of jobs, but not enough workers to fill them. If every unemployed person in the country found a job, we would still have 5 million open jobs.”

Beyond that, the United States population is aging. Among six age groups — 0 to 4, 5 to 19, 20 to 34, 35 to 49, 50 to 64, and 65 and older — the 65+ group was the fastest growing between 2010 and 2021, with its population increasing 38%. The 0 to 4 age group declined the most, dropping 6.7% between 2010 and 2021.

Japan is already facing the challenge of an aging population coupled with a low birthrate for replacement. Japan now has the highest proportion of residents over the age of 65 in the world, and the health ministry estimates the country’s population will decline by 25% by 2050, despite rising life spans.

Florida, as a popular retirement destination, has 21.3% of its population over the age of 65. A wiser governor would welcome people from Venezuela, and offer training as home health aides or other occupations with a growing need. The Washington Post, in “A rural county in Iowa that supported Trump turns to Latinos to grow” (5/14/22), reported on efforts to recruit immigrants to Greene County, Iowa, about 60 miles west of Des Moines, to fill jobs left open by the declining White population.

Instead, Gov. DeSantis is spending millions to export what may be the most valuable population in just a few years.

Sam Uretsky is a writer and pharmacist living in Louisville, Ky. Email sdu01@outlook.com.

From The Progressive Populist, October 15, 2022

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