Nativism as Immigration Policy

Of all the issues in which public policy finds least guidance from the general public, the matter of immigration is right up there. There are lots of myths about the harm that immigrants cause when they move across borders throughout the world. While one may understand the natural apprehension that comes with the influx of foreigners into a country, the leading arguments against immigrants in all countries include the claims that they are opportunists who try to take advantage of welfare state provisions,drive crime rates, are tax evaders and lead to a decline of wages for the poor in the nation to which they emigrate.

Most of these claims are supported by qualified studies here and there but a good number of these claims do not stand to objective scrutiny. Sebastian Mallaby, an Op-Ed columnist with the Washington Post revisits these major claims and cites studies that debunk a good number of them. The conclusion is that these claims are mere nativist rants by demagogues. Most disappointing are the politicians in the US who know better but would rather duck the issue. In this respect, most countries, irrespective of the levels of income tend to be universally uninformed.