A Question of Sovereignty: America and the Refugee Crisis

As an independent, sovereign nation, America has every right to manage its immigration system by making and enforcing rules regarding access to citizenship and residency. It is constitutionally essential for an independent community to vet its membership. It matters not only for the security and economic wellbeing of our country, but fundamentally to the independence of this community. Imagine a large number of “new Americans,” who cannot and do not want to assimilate into America, immigrate to America at a rapid rate. These “new Americans” gradually change their communities and their part of America to become more like where they came from. If this trend continues and expands under the protection of the “open border” view and political correctness, what makes this land America will only be silently but inevitably undermined under the glorious name of “tolerance”, “diversity” and “humanity”. For those kind of people mentioned above, they have their stories and their way of life, but they are un-American.

A civilization’s resources are limited. The American way of life, from clean air (compared to countries like China) to free speech (although already undermined a lot by progressive liberalism), is not free. It is earned by bravery and fierce fighting, by the flesh and blood of generations. It is so valuable that it should not be open for free without vetting. It is so valuable that it will be the greatest loss in human history if we just let Americanism be undermined and made more like the rest of the world. Americans should not be forced to tolerate limitless free-riders not only overseas, but also at home. For those who do not like America and her values, who do not have any willingness to assimilate into this community, it is of no need to “welcome” them in America. They will not feel good to live in a place they do not like, right?

The greatest “melting pot” is based on the clear principles of Americanism, and immigrants’ assimilation by choice. Immigrants come to America to change themselves, to become Americans, not the other way around. In American dream narratives, “who you were and where you came from” does not matter because they are not important compared to “what you will become”. This confidence is called American exceptionalism. The “open border” view of liberal elites is incredibly dangerous as they have shown the tendency to deconstruct, deny and even destroy all of these most valuable treasures. American is a free, united society of real diversity, not the jigsaw of different undiversified identities.
And for those who fear that Trumpism will only make a mediocre nativism and nationalism, the American identity itself is the combination of many exceptional values. As long as Americanism is conserved and the process of assimilation by choice works well again, your worries will not come true.

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About Roy Rivers

Roy Rivers (Shan He) was a contributor to the Michigan Review.