Post #2: Immigration Reform

America's foundation was built on the belief that freedom is the most important aspect that our government should always try to obtain. While we've struggled immensely with this concept for centuries, from slavery to racism to sexism, America today is as accepting as ever. That isn't to say, however, that we are not without our discrimination. In this blog post, I will be addressing immigration reform and the wall which is being constructed between the United States and Mexico.

This issue has risen within the past couple of years due to immigration reform. While I understand wanting to enforce rules to ensure legal immigration, I believe that America is displaying ethnocentrism, the belief that one's culture is "better" than others when it comes to this issue. But before I go into this concept further, I will first address the issues some Americans have with immigration.

Most Americans who are supportive of the wall between America and Mexico being built are most likely arguing that the rise in immigrants are taking jobs away from "Americans." However, as the Cato Institute proves through collections of immigration records, higher immigration is not associated with higher unemployment rates (https://www.cato.org/blog/why-unemployment-lower-when-immigration-higher). Furthermore, America was built up by immigrants bringing new ideas to this country and creating diversity within it. By wishing to "get rid" of these immigrants, America is stripping away the aspects which make it unique.

If America did "get rid" of these immigrants, it would definitely be displaying a sense of ethnocentrism. By stripping away it's diversity, America would be displaying that we believe our culture is superior to others by wishing away cultures which are not considered "American." Furthermore, this country was created to be a place for the "land of the free." By restricting immigrants from entering the country, we are contradicting our core belief that every human deserves the right to have freedom.

While there are plenty of topics I could cover why I believe the flow of immigration into America is a key part of our culture, the most important part would be that this flow could potentially create a better sense of cultural relativism, the belief that cultures should not be judged by their own standards, in the U.S. By introducing new cultures into our country, we are exposing ourselves to different customs and ways of life that could open our minds to the world around us. Hopefully as immigrants continue to enter the country, this will allow us to be introduced to different cultural standards other than the ones we have been raised with in America.

All in all, I believe that the flow of immigration should continue in America. Not only does it provide new opportunities for these immigrants, but it provides new opportunities for Americans to expose themselves to new and different cultures.