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Publisher / Editor:
Paul Hayden

Immigration Down Through The Ages

May 20, 2024


The crisis at the southern border has not subsided, and remains a humanitarian disaster. According to border officials, illegal immigrants are now concentrating entry into the US through Arizona and California. This is the result of Texas’ Operation Lone Star, enhanced border security measures that have reduced illegal crossings considerably. It is estimated that approximately 10 million illegal immigrants have entered the US since 2021.

Since its inception, the Biden administration has encouraged illegal immigration through its inept and laidback Department of Homeland Security. The resulting wave of migrants flooding into major cities across the nation has caused tremendous physical burdens and fiscal insolvency. In surveys, a majority of the American people consider immigration in the top two of the most pressing issues facing the nation.

The subject of immigration has long been a matter of discussion going back centuries. The Founding Fathers considered the young nation as “founded as a refuge and asylum, and that this was a form of patriotism.”  Thomas Paine called America “An asylum for mankind.” George Washington wrote “I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.” James Madison, Father of the Constitution, believed in there being some restrictions, concentrating on a more desirable class of people.

George Washington wrote, “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges.” Thomas Jefferson believed “Whoever intends to live in a country must wish that country well, and has a natural right of assisting in the preservation of it.” He also wrote America offers “a sanctuary for those whom the misrule of Europe (and King George) may compel to seek happiness in other climes.” 

The Founding Fathers believed the Americas needed new blood, skilled men and women, to populate a young nation striving for independence and prosperity. They were quite liberal in their acceptance of an open border policy, to mainly Europeans seeking new lives. But, things are different today. The crisis we face in immigration is the result of a political class that has skirted its responsibilities, and appears far from solving the problem. For power and self-serving reasons, they have allowed this massive illegal migration to fester, mostly from third-world, undeveloped, and nations in the throes of civil strife.

From the 19th century to the present, the policy on immigration has been determined by the president and the Congress. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln wrote the Act to Encourage Immigration. Prior to this, the 16th president spoke often on the need to incentivize immigration, believing immigrants would be the skilled labor America needed, such as farmers, tradesmen, builders, and merchants. These newcomers would add to the nation’s progress and prosperity.

In 1962 President John Kennedy signed into law the Migration and Refuge Assistance Act, which extended a safe haven to those from Western nations seeking relief from persecution in their native lands. Upon signing the Act Kennedy said “the American people will be assured that this Government’s leadership will be maintained in the great humanitarian endeavor of helping the world’s stateless and homeless people.”

In 1969 President Richard Nixon issued Operation Intercept, which shutdown the borders between the US and Mexico. This measure was initiated to stop the influx of marijuana with the incoming prime harvesting season.

In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration and Reform Control Act. The legislation was significant in that it gave immigrants who entered the US prior to 1982 the opportunity to apply for legal status. There was a stipulation, they must pay fines and back taxes, and learn English. Although recognized as a staunch conservative, this endeavor did not sit well with many of Reagan’s supporters, and still to this day.

But of all the voices covered here from out of the past, that have spoken on the matter of immigration, there is another that speaks from further back, the 12th century. In his heralded and highly influential “Summa Theologica,” St. Thomas Aquinas, priest, philosopher, theologian, and considered to be one of the greatest philosophers of Western Civilization, had much to say on the subject. Perhaps today those whose responsibility it is to resolve this pressing problem could take a few pointers. Some of what St. Thomas wrote:

“Man’s relations with foreigners are twofold: peaceful, and hostile; and in directing both kinds of relation the Law contained suitable precepts.” He comments that not all immigrants can be thought of as equal. And for its safety and security and that of its citizens, within the confines of the law, a nation has the right to determine who it accepts and who best serves the common good. 

St. Thomas also speaks of times past in writing, “When any foreigners wished to be admitted entirely to their fellowship (Jews in particular) and mode of worship; with regard to these a certain order was observed. For they were not at once admitted to citizenship: just as it was law with some nations that no one was deemed a citizen except after two or three generations, as the Philosopher says.

The foreigner who wishes to enter a country and gain citizenship must understand and accept that they must fully assimilate into the culture and life of the country, and learn the language and customs. And foreigners should be treated with respect, charity, and courtesy, and the law should protect them from any mistreatment.   

St. Thomas, the Founding Fathers, and the presidents discussed here, were learned men who believed that immigrants should be treated with respect, charity, and acceptance. However, I believe they would have vociferously disagreed and objected to the recklessness of certain post-modern presidents. This is especially true of the Biden administration, whose open border policy is a direct threat to the nation’s sovereignty, and has created a human catastrophe of monumental proportions that will plague us into the future.


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