Immigration is the most contentious issue in European and American elections. The complaints are common: Too many, too soon, too needy, too difficult, unscreened, and too unwilling to assimilate. Frankly, none of this is new, historically speaking. The give-me-your-tired-your-poor-yearning-to-be-free fiction in America glosses over the fact that the only “good” immigrants in the past were those that were completely compliant and economically exploitable. In the 19th century, America’s slums and tenements were filled with newcomers from Europe who worked like horses and gradually blended in. Now neighborhoods teem with migrants from Europe’s colonies, rural America, or Latin America. Post-war Europe is no different and has been inundated because, lacking naval protection, boatloads arrive from Africa and the Middle East. The millions on the move are fleeing strife, but international asylum laws, put in place after World War 2, are easily gamed. As a result, migration has been industrialized and weaponized by Russia and smugglers around the world. The result is populist pushback everywhere.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Diane Francis to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.