Donald Trump has been trying to wrestle the power of the purse from the House of Representatives to build his memorial border wall. He wants to keep all of the legal asylum seekers out of the country, deport the Muslims, and side with the white supremacists who are trying to make America white through violence. Maybe, POTUS should take a look at President George W. Bush’s attitude-in-action toward immigration.
President and Mrs. Bush will be delivering remarks before 51 of the country’s newest citizens as they take their Oath of Allegiance to the United States. The newest members of the U.S. then receive their certificates of naturalization. The Bush Center offers immigrants’ stories as a way to have “debunked immigration myths.”
This is the George W. Bush Institute’s honor to America’s immigrant heritage. As part of the celebration, 43 will talk about immigrants’ “significant contributions” to both America’s society and its economy.” According to POLITICO, he will say:
‘Generations of new arrivals (have) left their mark on our national character, in traits that friends abroad still recognize as distinctly American: our optimism, our independence and openness to the new, our willingness to strive and to risk, our sense of life as an adventure, dignified by personal freedom and personal responsibility. Such qualities don’t come out of nowhere. A spirit of self-reliance runs deep in our immigrant heritage, along with the humility and kindness to look at someone less fortunate and see yourself.’
Bush will shine a light upon why men and women “dream of starting life anew in America:”
‘Across the world, good men and women still dream of starting life anew in America — people who bring energy, talent and a faith in the future. Often they bring a special love of freedom, because they’ve seen how life looks without it.’
As opposed to Trump’s wall of hatred, Bush says that “immigration is a blessing and a strength:”
‘The great yearning of so many to live in our country presents a significant challenge. America’s elected representatives have a duty to regulate who comes in and when. In meeting this responsibility, it helps to remember that America’s immigrant history made us who we are. Amid all the complications of policy, may we never forget that immigration is a blessing and a strength.’
Bush was not opposed to intelligent border security, but he does believe in the gifts immigrants bring to the United States. The Bush Institute’s Immigration program:
‘…advocates for smart, skills-based immigration reform. In 2019, the Bush Institute released updated policy recommendations that outline an immigration system that would better serve America and its vibrant, growing 21st-century economy.’
What is naturalization, anyway? This is the method by which foreign citizens or nationals earn their U.S. citizenship after they meet all of the requirements set forth by the Congress. Once people born outside of the U.S. become naturalized, they are entitled to:
‘…nearly all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote.’
