Is Our Compassion Killing Us?

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

- Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus, November 2, 1883

The sonnet above was written by Emma Lazarus, an American poet, to raise money to build a pedestal to support the Statue of Liberty. In 1903, the poem was cast onto a bronze plaque and mounted inside the pedestal's lower level.

Until recently, those words served America well, perfectly describing our national policy of accepting legal immigrants with open arms. In return, these newly minted Americans did everything in their power to assimilate into our society by learning to speak English and becoming self-sufficient from Day One.

Between 1892 and 1954, in the shadow of Lady Liberty, more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Approximately 10% were detained for further questioning or health examinations and only about 2% were denied entrance altogether. The average processing time was 3-5 hours and free meals were only provided to immigrants who were detained overnight. Everyone else could purchase a small boxed lunch in the cafeteria for 50 cents or a large one for $1.00.

My, how times have changed… and not for the better.

As of 2020, more than 40 million foreign-born immigrants were living in the United States, roughly 20% of the world’s migrants. Since 1965, when U.S. immigration laws replaced a national quota system, the number of foreign-born immigrants living in the U.S. has more than quadrupled, accounting for almost 14% of our population (up from just 5% in 1970).

Today, under the Biden administration and its lax immigration policies, those numbers have skyrocketed. In just three short years, an estimated 4 million illegals have crossed over our southern border alone. Just a reminder… that is 1/3 of the total number of legal immigrants who passed through Ellis Island over a 62-year period.

More importantly – and more dangerously – most of these illegals are not being detained, let alone deported. Instead, they are being provided free food, housing, and medical treatment at taxpayers’ expense while awaiting their processing, after which the vast majority are released into our country with a court date for their immigration hearing 5-10 years down the road (if they actually appear).

America has always been a compassionate nation. It’s in our DNA. What other country in human history has paid to rebuild the country that attacked it? And yet, that’s exactly what the U.S. did with Japan after World War II. Meanwhile, the 4-year Marshall Plan rebuilt Germany and other western European nations to the tune of $13.3 billion ($173 billion in today’s dollars).

Maybe, just maybe, it is time for us to rethink not only our entire immigration policy, but also our attitude towards less fortunate people around the world. Simply put, we can no longer afford to accept – let alone feed, clothe, and house – everyone who wants to come to the United States.

I don’t know if returning to a quota system is the way to go, but I do know that we need to stop the uncontrolled influx of immigrants NOW. Not tomorrow, not next week, and not next month.

N-O-W… before Lady Liberty’s lamp is forever extinguished, and America’s golden door is slammed shut for good.