Maybe it‘s because Trump‘s remarks are forcing precisely the kind of conversation our leaders don‘t want to have. He didn‘t do it on purpose. It was accidental, but he still raised questions they‘d rather not answer, like who exactly are we importing into our country and how are they doing once they get here?
The answer, of course, well, they are all valedictorians and war heroes and, in fact, way more impressive and way more American than you will ever be, so shut up. That‘s what we‘re told. That‘s what we are required to believe. What if it‘s not true?
Last year, the U.S. accepted 23,000 people from Haiti and 172,000 from Mexico. Immigration from El Salvador have been so brisk in recent years that one in three Salvadorians now lives in the United States. Has America become a better country as a result? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe we ought to talk it through and decide before we continue with our current immigration policy.