Over the past decade, anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States has surged over 20%, resulting in a growing wave of hostility towards outsiders seeking a better life. This growing hostility towards new immigrants has been demonstrated through stricter immigration policies, xenophobic and nativist attitudes, and extreme rhetoric. Growing anti-immigrant sentiment has fueled fear and discrimination within immigrant communities, guiding America to concerning economic consequences.
Anti-immigrant sentiment is repeatedly found throughout U.S. history. Negative attitudes towards immigrants have been embedded in periods of economic hardship and cultural shifts. Factors such as language and the reluctance of immigrants to melt into “American” ideals have resulted in cultural clashes. Notable policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act highlight the xenophobic attitudes within American society, labeling immigrants as “less than” or “threats” to American culture. Do immigrants pose a genuine threat to U.S. national security and economy, or is the media consumed by anti-immigrant rhetoric giving the public a false perception of immigrants?
Rise of Anti-Immigrant Policies and Shaping Fearful, Public Sentiment
Policies opposed to immigrants have resurfaced throughout American history, including today. Paul Cibaric, Diversity Studies, and American Civilization teacher at SPASH spoke on U.S. government policies opposed to immigrants, both in the past and today. “A hundred years ago there were quotas on who could come from what country, racist policies excluding people of Asian descent…and I think we are just seeing more of the same in America trying to figure out who is let in. It is up to us to create the laws of immigration. That is something that has always been happening in America”.
Emily Yates, author of “Xenophobia & Anti-Immigrant Extremism: From Fringe to Mainstream” noted that since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, proposed anti-immigrant laws have surged by 357%, with states like Texas introducing the highest number of such bills. Undocumented immigrants alone contribute $96.7 billion annually in taxes. Yates also clarifies immigrants “are an essential component of the American economy and proposals that target these hardworking individuals will only damage the nation’s social and economic fabric”. The surge of anti-immigration legislation highlights how the crisis of the U.S. economy, healthcare system, and anti-immigrant sentiment during the pandemic perpetuated scapegoating towards immigrants in America. The leverage of fear during the pandemic allowed U.S. legislation to exclude migrants on public health grounds, and it became clear how immigration laws were reinforced in response to the pandemic. It exhibits how immigration policies are often shaped by extreme events, beyond a pandemic. However, the debate can not be confirmed nor denied if the response to these policies was for legitimate health concerns, or an opportunity to decline immigration from the southern border of the U.S.
Regardless, many of these policies argue that undocumented workers result in fewer career opportunities and diminished salaries for legal residents. Yates also uses the example of the New Jersey Jobs Protection Act of 2022, which claims undocumented workers present in the labor market leads to “Additional unauthorized aliens entering or remaining in New Jersey illegally”, “Fewer employment opportunities”, “Decrease in wages for legal residents”, and “an erosion of public respect for the rule of law in New Jersey and the United States”. This proposed policy illustrates strikingly similar language to the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Chinese Exclusion Act established discrimination against Asian immigrants, fueled by fears that Chinese laborers were taking jobs from native-born workers. Similar worries are reflected in modern policies like the New Jersey Jobs Protection Act, which accuses undocumented workers as threats to employment and wages. The resemblance is not coincidental. Although the New Jersey Jobs Protection Act has consistently failed to pass, each attempt not only highlights these harmful policies but fuels the flame of nativist sentiment.
Fuel for Recurring Nativist Attitudes
Nativist attitudes have been a recurring issue among the native-born people of American society. According to Cibaric, anti-immigrant rhetoric and nativist attitudes are fueled by both media and conflict between cultures. “Influencers and news outlets promoting anti-immigrant rhetoric in the community play a role in changing people’s public opinion in general…there is a huge role played in that, whether it is social media or news media…A lot is going on in the current anti-immigrant rhetoric… I think a lot of it has to do with the clash of cultures. In previous generations of immigrants, they have been willing to give up their cultural identity and “melt” into what they consider ‘American’”.
Historian David Elliot, author of “Melting Pot”, highlights how nativist fears have long shaped American society. He states, “Many Protestant Americans were troubled by the influx of Catholic immigrants…they saw as less than American ideals on the part of the new immigrants…even went so far as to form their own political party called the American Party, or Know-Nothing Party. This party sought to ban political office for Catholics and immigrants and wanted the period of naturalization”. The early immigrants, the Protestants, pointed to examples of new immigrants to examples of laziness, which were contrary to the current “American” ideals. New immigrants were not easily accepted nor willing to assimilate to the dominant American cultural norms.
Cibaric continues to highlight the persistence of nativism today, stating, “America has always had a nativist attitude to it…Earlier immigrants have always seen the more recent immigrants as ‘less than’…The previous immigrants see the new immigrants as ‘different’ and in some ways as a ‘threat’. And so that is where animacy grows, that’s where prejudice grows…So that we get to where we are at today”.
Yates analyzed quantitative evidence debunking today’s rhetoric of immigrants being criminals. “In 2018, the illegal immigrant criminal conviction rate was 782 per 100,000 illegal immigrants, 535 per 100,000 legal immigrants, and 1,422 per 100,000 native-born Americans. The illegal immigrant criminal conviction rate was 45 percent below that of native-born Americans in Texas”. The data collected from Texas, a state with a significant immigration population, proves undocumented immigrants are convicted of crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens. This misconception and false media have fueled xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment among the American people. The media often uses crime statistics to justify the false social views of immigrants and provide the American people with a false sentiment for outsiders. This harsh rhetoric also impacts immigrant communities. With the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and hate crimes in America many immigrants are fleeing and causing a concern for the U.S. economy.
Immigrants Economic Benefits
Contrary to the claims that immigrants drain the U.S. economy, evidence indicates immigrants play a crucial role in economic growth. Cibaric notes that the current U.S. unemployment rate stands at 4.1%, a statistic economists consider near full employment. He warns anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric could worsen labor shortages, disturbing economic stability. “Many people in the nativist realm don’t understand that some of those entry-level jobs and certain lower-paying jobs are usually picked up by the immigrants and historically speaking that is how the economy has been run. That idea of negativeness towards the new immigrants is a conundrum in American society. We have this one side of American society [nativists] that says ‘We don’t want immigrants coming in’ and ‘protecting the US economy’. If we take a step back and look at what the economy is doing, you can see that we need more workers”.
According to the Congressional Digest, Vol. 100, economists Gaetano Basso and Giovanni Peri discover that immigrants tend to move more frequently than native residents in response to changes in local economic conditions, which contributes to more efficient functioning labor markets. Unlike native-born workers, immigrants have shown trends that demonstrate greater flexibility and moving where labor is most needed. “Florida’s population growth has outpaced the national growth rate every year since the 2000s, and it became the country’s fastest-growing state in 2022, largely fueled by domestic and international migration. Its economic growth has also outpaced that of the U.S., with real gross domestic product growth coming in at 91.3 percent over 1997–2022, compared to the national rate of 73.6 percent” (Congressional Digest, Vol 100). This mobility benefits industries that experience seasonal or fluctuating labor demands such as agriculture, construction, and hospitality. By filling these gaps in the workforce, immigrants allow for employment stability and prevent labor shortages that could slow economic productivity in the US. Additionally, immigrant workers often take on jobs native-born individuals are less willing to take on, ensuring that key industries can function efficiently. With nativist and anti-immigrant attitudes, we push away immigrants that benefit the socio-economic part of our country.
The patterns of anti-immigrant sentiment in America serve as a reminder that the issues regarding policies, nativism, and economic impact are rooted long into American history. Even as policies and media coverage persist, immigration has been both the reason for division, yet a leverage for economic growth. Cibaric stresses the importance of changing perspectives in nativist attitudes. “We get caught in our own biases. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Do the people driving the media have prejudices, and how are they using them to shape public opinion?”. While immigration continues to build the country’s future, it is necessary to grasp misinformation, stand against prejudices, and not lose sight of the fact that history has continuously shown a diverse society’s social and economic benefits. The choice America faces is not just about policy, but the values that define the nation.