How does a country of immigrants become so xenophobic?

Question

Essentially, most citizens of the United States are or have been immigrants in the last 200 years or so. These people left countries which oppressed them on religious, social or economic grounds to find a better life elsewhere. So why is it these people who now refuse this freedom to others.

Legal or Illegal. You should read some of the opinion aired on Y!A. There seems to be little difference to most people out there.

This comment is for andrewmah50.
Always excepting of all cultures?
You really need to read your own history books. I would not have wanted to be a blackman in the 1960's, would you?

This is just the kind of answers I expected. It is the same old rhetoric.

It's reassuring to know that there are so many people who really have not understood the drive of the question. It is a irony. You live in a country populated by people who deny the longer history of their homeland. No laws stopped your forefathers from entering a land and exploiting it.

Is immigration (legal or illegal) not just a product of a true free market economy? These immigrants would not have jobs if the jobs did not exist. Your employers employ them. Your country needs them to do the work others will not.

Comment for Ricky - I'm not trying to change your opinion. Fortunately I do not have to live in country that has such a rigorous immigration policy. I do not see immigrants as a threat.

It seems to me that legality and illegality is purely a question of time. Come to a 'empty' country, claim it as your own, make laws, stop other people coming. Very interesting, nes pas?

ariansagitarian - No utterly wrong. Not I word I've just learned and no not Hispanic. You're not as good as you think you are. Umm...there is a theme here.

Answer 1

First, not most americans have been immigrants for over 200 years. 84% were citizens, and 14% were immigrants of all people living and dead. Second, just like they closed the western frontier in the 1870's, now we are closing another frontier - illegal immigration and control our legal immigration after that.

If you need sources of why anti-immigration, here's my growing list:

Answer 2

Nice question, because any answer you get that disagrees with you is automatically labeled as xenophobic. It is similar to asking: If you don't support a war for oil, then why are you driving a car? There is no answer you can give that will satisfy someone who believes that anyone who believes differently than they do is wrong.

Oh, and by the way, you want to see tired rhetoric all you have to do is look at your question. Look through the immigration section and see how many questions are asking the EXACT same thing as you. No matter how many times this question is answered, you people keep bringing it up.... You are not going to convince me or people who believe like I do to change our beliefs, just like I will not convince you to change yours.


Oh. so you don't live here but you comment on my country... Nice. Figures..... I love it when people who do not live here ASSUME they know everything about this GREAT country, and try to criticize it. You can criticize all you want, but you have lost all credibility in my eyes the second you stated you do not live here. I can give my opinion on the finer points of Fluid Dynamics, but what exactly does that mean seeing as I have never stepped foot into a classroom for the subject.

Answer 3

How would you think of the people of Mexico if suddenly the whole world just felt a sudden uncontrollable urge to get there any way they could and to cross the borders into Mexico legally or otherwise? The Mexican people wouldn't like that at all. The United States of America is a nation of laws; we can't have our government do what it has been doing for decades---showing preference to Mexico and showing no determination to prosecute Mexican violators of our immigration laws. Asking one's government to be fair in its application of its laws is not xenophobia. So what if we are a nation of immigrants. Does that mean we are not to set up laws? And no matter where we (or our ancestors) came from and when we or our ancestors got here, we still have a duty to expect to have a nation bound by laws that are applied fairly. Those who think we as American citizens have no right to run our own country are idiots.
Also, there's no more room at the inn, so to speak, so we need to start winding down immigration and to start having some population growth control.

Answer 4

I know of no one that is against immigration.

I do know that many citizens of this and other countries are tired of illegals within it's borders. Such does not make one 'fearful' or 'contemptuous' of anything foreign. It does tho reflect people that are wanting the laws to be enforced vs being overlooked, suggestions that the laws can't be enforced when such has never been even attempted except on rare occasions.

As to the reasons that you list why "these people left countries" - such is a broad all covering comment that does not reflect nor represent all that are within this country illegally. If you doubt such - as someone that lives on the southern border that is in law enforcement.

Answer 5

Apparently xenophobia is now like homophobia, it means only that you disagree with someone else. And secondly, we have been allowing in increasing numbers of immigrants, last year more that a million, despite the fact that for the first five years immigrants cost more than they contribute, and that we don't have anymore land. Over the last 10 years we have had more than 10 million immigrants, maybe we're xenophobic because there are so many xenos to be phobic of.
Incidentally this nation was not founded or based on diversity, but on a desire to not have other's beliefs forced on them. And the statue was a gift from France and the poem on it was written by a British woman who never came here, it is merely an imposition on our nation of the desires of what Europe wanted the USA to be, a dumping ground for their undesirables, also please note it's written in English on a statue facing Europe.

Answer 6

Actually, The majority of illegals in America are from Mexico and of those the vast majority were gain fully employed before entering America. You can find that fact if you take the time to look at the PEW Hispanic research centers' web site. Another fact from that site which i don't think you are taking into consideration is that the majority of illegals do not wish to become Americans , they do not wish to assimilate, or to learn the language or become apart of the American culture. Also America has a very liberal immigration policy it is about as fair as it could be, the only problem is the huge amount of people that want to enter, oh yeah...there is that other part of the scenario, we as Americans want those who wish to enter this country to do it legally. As I said before about the percentage of illegals being from Mexico, do yourself a favor and read up on Mexico's immigration laws and see whose you think are more xenophobic.

Answer 7

I agree with perfect american on this question. You people do love the words, "Xenophobic, racist, bigot, etc." don't you? It is so easy to throw out those words when you can't come up with a reasonable, logical explanation for why it is okay for people to come here illegally and break our laws. We are a country of "legal" immigrants and we love that. As far as I am concerned, I'd be glad if they took the words off the statue of liberty because it seems to be giving people of other countries the wrong impression of America.

Answer 8

Well not all of us Billy. Let me put this into some perspective for you (your need it). If Chief Wahunsunacock had sat on the Virginia Beach with his daughter Pocahontas and watched as over a million white Europeans descended on his nation within just a few short years and then watched as they settled his nation from coast to coast what do you think he would have been called, xenophobic? That is the proportions of the the problem today. What do your think?

Answer 9

Wait, is it xenophobic or racist? I get really confused about what I am.
Some people just don't get it. It is about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
It is not about who had great grand parents that were immigrants. That is a moot point. I would bet that the 95% of the people who you say a xenophobic are actually nutural born citizens or LEGAL IMMIGRANTS. And you might be surprised to find that immigrants who have fled to the United States fled from religious or political persecution and were granted asylum. Those that came here for economic reasons waited their turn to earn citizenship. We don't grant asylum for economic reasons, this is what ILLEGAL Mexicans are asking for. Our laws do not provide for economic asylum.
I personally would not refuse any immigrant the freedom that they seek, as long as they come here in compliance with our laws. I don't appreciate being generalized as a xenophobe. I served the people of this country for thirteen years in the military, to do my part to protect your freedoms and the freedoms of those who are here LEGALLY. I did not serve to grant freedoms to lawbreakers who march in the streets of my town and wave Mexican flags and demand rights that belong to LEGAL citizens. If you are not comfortable with our laws, then please leave, preferably by sunset tomorrow.

Answer 10

Yes, most of us descended from immigrants, but our ancestors were the LEGAL immigrants. That means they took the time to go through the legalization process and didn't hop the border. Most of us have nothing against immigrants, just the illegal ones.

Answer 11

Because amnesia is a cause of xenophobia... if you can't stand diversity, simply get out from a country that's based on it.

I agree with you 100%, don't know how can people claim "our English ancestors came here legally", well, show me your ancestor's permit signed by a native american... i'm pretty sure the closest thing to it will be a bullet signed with a native's blood.