Reuters (November 10)
“The common element” in the U.S. and Europe “is a revolt, greater or lesser in extent, against rapid change, against liberal elites and against a loss of identity – white, in the main, but also of settled communities of past waves of immigrants. Populists, right to signal these concerns, are wrong to claim that answers are simple. But arguments of complexity are, in an impatient time, suspect. Divisions, not only in the United States, presently deepen.”
Tags: Arguments, Common, Complexity, Divisions, Europe, Identity, Immigrants, Impatient, Liberal elites, Populists, Rapid change, Revolt, U.S.
Chicago Tribune (October 30)
“The caravan of several thousand people coming north through Mexico has stirred all sorts of fears here at home…. But the actual grounds for fear are sparse.” Some won’t complete the journey. Many will apply for asylum. Only a small percentage will eventually make it into the U.S., either legally or illegally. Furthermore, “a body of evidence indicates that immigrants in general are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.”
The Economist (October 21)
“Populism’s wave has yet to crest.” Yet the gestures Trump is making “to his angry base” are unlikely to bring relief. “The demise of NAFTA will disproportionately hurt the blue-collar workers who back Mr Trump. Getting tough on immigrants will do nothing to improve economic conditions.” Instead, “mainstream parties must offer voters who feel left behind a better vision of the future, one that takes greater account of the geographical reality behind the politics of anger.”
Tags: Anger, Blue collar, Gestures, Immigrants, Mainstream, Nafta, Populism, Trump, Vision, Voters
Washington Post (December 12)
Can Canada, “a nation so multicultural and immigrant-heavy (Canada ties with Germany for the G8’s highest per-capita immigration rate) hope to escape the racial and religious tensions that have consumed Europe and the United States?” While the consensus says yes, there are some concerning rumblings.
Tags: Canada, Europe, G8, Germany, Immigrants, Multicultural, Tension, U.S.
Philly.Com (July 27)
After the Democratic National Convention got off to a rough start, the party is reuniting, though tension remains. “Amid enduring dissent, some of the convention’s most successful moments so far have appealed to unity among people—including the kinds of people, like undocumented immigrants and the disabled, who have been targeted by Trump’s divisive rhetoric.”
Tags: Convention, Democrats, Disabled, Dissent, Immigrants, Successful, Tension, Trump, Unity
New York Times (February 7)
“Fear and hatred stalked the Republican debate on Saturday night, aimed at every available target, including, as starkly as ever, the immigrant threat…. There is a long list of things Americans are terrified of, immigrants should not be on it.”
Tags: Fear, Hatred, Immigrants, Republican debate, Threats, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (September 9)
While Europe is rescuing teeming masses of immigrants, neighboring Arab states are proving they are “not their brothers’ keepers.” They have done “pretty much nothing,” with Gulf leaders “worrying that a large influx of refugees will upset the political balance of their brittle kingdoms.”
Tags: Arab states, Europe, Gulf, Immigrants, Kingdoms, Political balance, Refugees
Wall Street Journal (December 23, 2013)
To avoid the stagnation that has afflicted Japan, the U.S. should embrace immigration reform. Reform could lead to a younger population, innovation and entrepreneurship. “If Japan, a rapidly aging country with famously prohibitive immigration laws, teaches us anything, it is this: If you want to avoid a “lost decade,” open your doors to immigrants.”
Tags: Aging, Entrepreneurship, Immigrants, Immigration, Innovation, Japan, Laws, Lost decade, Population, Reform, Stagnation, U.S.
Financial Times (September 18)
South Korea is increasingly turning to immigrants to fill 3D jobs considered dirty, difficult and dangerous. The “migrant worker population that has risen to around 540,000 from 49,500 in 1990” looks poised to continue growing. “With a looming demographic crunch driven by one of the world’s lowest birth rates, the reliance on foreign labour is likely to spread more broadly in this increasingly mature economy.”
Tags: Birth rates, Dangerous, Demographics, Difficult, Dirty, Foreign labour, Immigrants, Mature economy, Migrant workers, Population, South Korea
Wall Street Journal (June 2)
“As some 75 million baby boomers prepare to retire, immigrants will be crucial to keeping the federal pension program afloat.” Without immigration, the U.S. social security program faces an estimated 75-year social security shortfall of over $8.5 trillion (net present value). “Immigration won’t solve all of Social Security’s financial problems…. But immigrants unquestionably narrow the funding gap. More generous immigration is a wise step toward solving the entitlement crisis in Washington.”
Tags: Baby boomers, Entitlements, Immigrants, Pensions, Retirement, Social security, U.S.
