Debate Desk
Do Conservatives Oppose All Immigration to the United States?
Conservatives broadly welcome legal immigration that serves the country; the objection is to illegal entry and to a system that ignores skills and assimilation.
The claim
Critics say the right is hostile to newcomers, that tough talk on the border is a mask for resentment of foreigners, and that conservatives would shut the door to people who want only to work, raise families and join the American story.
The answer in three points
- The conservative position is that immigration should be lawful, orderly and in the national interest. That is a position about the rules, and it is compatible with welcoming a large number of people. Many conservatives are immigrants or the children of immigrants, and many conservative organizations run programs to teach English and civics to new citizens.
- The disagreements among conservatives are about numbers and selection, not about welcome. Some want high levels to meet the needs of employers and to add vigor; others want lower levels to protect wages and speed assimilation. Some prefer a points system that favors skills and English, some prefer family ties.
- Assimilation is the other half of immigration. A nation of immigrants needs a common language, shared civic ideas and a sense that newcomers are joining a people, not just a place. The melting pot is a reasonable ideal, and a policy that supports it is not hostile.
The country's tradition is to welcome those who come the right way and to ask them to join the American family.
The numbers
- The Department of Homeland Security's Yearbook of Immigration Statistics reports more than one million people becoming lawful permanent residents in a typical recent year.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reports that more than 900,000 people naturalized in fiscal 2022.
- The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 ended national-origin quotas and set the family-based system still in place, according to the Department of State's Office of the Historian.
What they will say next
"You want to cut legal immigration too." Some conservatives do, and others do not. It is an argument about levels and selection, with serious people on each side, and they should be heard rather than lumped together.
"Tough rhetoric makes immigrants feel unwelcome." Rhetoric should be careful and respectful of persons. Criticizing the policy on illegal entry is not criticizing the people who obey the law, and legal immigrants are often the most insistent that the rules be enforced.
"Why not an easier path for everyone?" A system that is easy for everyone has no way to choose, and long lines are a sign that demand exceeds supply. The remedy is a better system, not none.
A fair summary: conservatives want a door that works. They differ about its width, and they agree it should be a door and not a hole in the fence.
"Some conservatives call for ending all immigration." A few do, and most conservative voices distinguish between a pause to restore order and an end to immigration. The mainstream position is selective and orderly.