Immigration And 'the Better Angels of Our Nature'

Originally published February 12, 2009

The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth is a fitting

moment to ponder the state of our fractious and fractured nation of

immigrants. Ending his First Inaugural Address, President Lincoln

spoke prophetically in words that could well describe the path

America must pursue if the deep divide over immigration policy is

ever to be bridged:

We are not enemies, but friends. We

must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not

break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory,

stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living

heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the

chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by

the better angels of our nature.

The hate speech and hate crimes, the demonization of immigrants

by some, cannot be allowed to represent to the world the values

that America holds dear. The hypocrisy and prejudice of non-native

nativists, whose forebears displaced the indigenous peoples of

North America, cannot be permitted to stanch the lifeblood of this

country, its ever-vibrant tradition of renewal and reinvention

through immigration.

The justifiable fears of many Americans about an economy run

amok ought not blind us to the manifold contributions to our

prosperity that immigrants have always made and, if permitted, will

continue to make. Shekhar Gupta, editor of The Indian

Express put the point eloquently to New York Times

columnist, Thomas Friedman:

Dear America, please remember how you

got to be the wealthiest country in history. It wasn't through

protectionism, or state-owned banks or fearing free trade. No, the

formula was very simple: build this really flexible, really open

economy, tolerate creative destruction so dead capital is quickly

redeployed to better ideas and companies, pour into it the most

diverse, smart and energetic immigrants from every corner of the

world and then stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat,

stir and repeat.

Others among our better celestial spirits, the Interfaith

Immigration Coalition, held a press conference with Members of

Congress on Feb. 11 to announce the launch of the campaign for

"Prayer, Renewal and Action on Immigration" and to

publish its Interfaith Platform on Humane Immigration

Reform. Serendipitously, the secular Migration Policy Institute just released a

scholarly report and 36 recommendations on how our broken

immigration system can be repaired and...