Letters

“Mass Deportation Now!” So said the signs at the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024.

So, let’s talk about immigration. Succinctly: Immigration is important and necessary; yes, the border needs to be strengthened in ways that make sense.

In February 2017, The Southampton Press’s Michael Wright reported on local businessmen and their reasons for employing immigrant laborers [“East End Employers Say Immigrant Workers Pay Taxes, Provide Foundation for Local Economy,” February 28, 2017]. It is a very interesting read that stuck with me and suggests a more nuanced view toward immigration might be relevant. Here is some of that reporting:

Each also said that, apart from the economic firestorm that would consume their industry if large numbers of immigrants were taken from, or left, the local community, they see most of their employees as upstanding members of the local community: family men, homeowners, devout churchgoers and consumers.

Asked why their crews are made up of mostly, if not entirely, immigrant workers, every employer offered a slight variation of the same sentiment: not because they are cheaper but because … “The Spanish guys show up to work every day, and they work hard. They would work 60 or 70 hours a week, seven days, if they could.”

Does this reporting not suggest that Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant vendetta severely distorts reality?

Re: Border Patrol … In both 2013 and 2024, bipartisan immigration legislation was defeated in Congress, first by Tea Party Republicans and then by MAGA Republicans. Among other provisions, both bills would have meant many more Border Patrol agents, customs officials and asylum judges.

Re: reasons for immigration … Many immigrants are leaving Central America and Mexico because it is becoming exceedingly difficult to live sustainably in those areas. Hurricanes, floods and droughts are becoming more severe, posing a direct threat to food security. These events not only lead to the destruction of harvests but also result in damage to farming soil. Note: An island off Panama is succumbing to sea level rise.

Re: demographics and future workers … The Wall Street Journal is reporting that “fertility rates in the United States have been trending down for decades … that another drop in births in 2023 brought the rate down to the lowest it’s been in more than a century.” Future workers will come from … where?

Not all immigrants are criminals, as suggested by Donald Trump; those who are should be prosecuted. But mass deportation is far, far from the right answer and would do severe damage to the United States.

Mike Anthony

Westhampton

Anthony is a former chair of the Southampton Democratic Committee — Ed.