What Do Immigrants Think about Open Borders?
You might be surprised.
I had the pleasure of talking with a Canadian. She immigrated to Canada from Congo when she was eleven years old. She has lived in Canada for over twenty years.
I mentioned going to the Rolling Stones concert in Vancouver. Mick Jagger said, “I love Trudeau.” That comment got no applause and seemed to suck the energy right out of the arena. What is up with that?
She thought it was because Trudeau is blamed for letting too many immigrants into the country. I said, “You are an immigrant. What is your take on it?”
She said, “I think we should take care of our own first.”
I told her that I have made the statement that few if any come here because they want to live in America. They would rather have a better life and stay in their own country. Is that true?
She said, “Absolutely. I’d rather be in Congo, but there are no opportunities there.”
I asked what it is like there. It is very dangerous due to gangs. Everyone has homes, but you can’t leave your house after 8 pm for fear of losing an arm. Sometimes people go three days without eating. She told me that the Congo is a very rich country, because they have natural resources. Only the politicians are rich. When people get elected to office, they take care of themselves and their families but do nothing to improve the economy and help everyone.
What about starting a business? She told me that transportation is a good business. If someone had a motorcycle, they could make money using it. There are no income taxes. The government makes money through the natural resources.
She has a sister still in Congo. Her sister has seven children and asks her for money to support them. She told her to stop having children. I told her that I have read that when women are educated in situations like that, they stop having children. She had not heard that but could not see how an education would help if there were no jobs. A college degree with no opportunities wouldn’t change anything.
I mentioned that I had met someone from Rwanda through Facebook. He told me that he was having trouble due to racism. I said, “What do you mean you are all black, right?” He said, “Yes but I’m from the wrong tribe.” He explained that there were three tribes, and you can tell them apart by height and facial features.
She said that if she had a store in Congo, she would not hire someone from Rwanda. There have been Rwandans in politics in Congo and took money out of the Congo to build the country of Rwanda.
Those are just a few samples of a very interesting chat. If you think immigrants are going to think in a certain way or vote in a certain way, talk to some. You might be surprised. It will help you think it through.