TWAA: The Cost of Immigration We Refuse to Name
Defending Enlightenment principles is not mere opinion—it is the defense of civilization itself.
A few weeks ago when I appeared on Fox’s The Will Cain Show, Will and I discussed immigration incentives, how modern-day immigration policies have largely benefitted leftist political parties, and the way Donald Trump and Brexit shook the center-left’s immigration status quo. Though I make media appearances like this one regularly and am used to them in a sense, I am not sure it will ever truly sink in that this is my job and my life. However improbable my journey, I am forever grateful and motivated to continue to preserve the Enlightenment principles that made the West into the freest society in history.
Just this week I had the opportunity to be interviewed by a hero of mine, Tommy Robinson. Though it was our first time to meet, I have long felt that he is a kindred spirit—a young man who understands the times in which we are living, the threats we in the West are facing, yet undeterred from fighting for what is true and right, regardless of the cost. People like Tommy, who consistently take slings and arrows for pushing back against the clear and present danger of Islamists, give me great hope.
What I’m Thinking About
Obviously, I am an immigrant—to Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Netherlands, and finally the United States. Several times over, I know what it’s like to be a newcomer in looks, language, religion, culture, and worldview. And given the way that immigration and immigrants have been featured prominently in the news the last few years, I spend a significant amount of time musing about the role of immigrants in any given society. I don’t think I should be the only one considering this topic, but I fear that non-immigrants fail to give it its proper weight.
When “regular Joes” leave immigration policy up to lawmakers, special interest groups and those who stand to profit the most shape the landscape and pass the laws. Similarly, when we only view immigration through Hollywood’s fairy-tale lens of hard work, perseverance, and eventual success, believing that free-for-all immigration can only be positive, we shouldn’t be surprised at the cultural unrest we are seeing in Western nations. That involves a slow-yet-steady erasure of Western values like human rights for all, including society’s most vulnerable (see the largely uncovered cases of female genital mutilation in Minnesota). As an FGM survivor I am forever grateful that my new cultures in Holland and America condemn that barbaric practice.
