The United States was indeed developed and strengthened with the welcomed inclusion of immigrants worldwide. It is also true that this country has vast amounts of land that can easily accommodate millions of refugees fleeing murderous drug cartels and oppressive dictatorships. So why are millions of Americans against President Bidens' "path for citizenship" to millions of illegal immigrants and his opening up the southern border?
Although the simplistic explanation offered by nearly every news outlet that the reason for the pushback against amnesty and open borders is racism and white supremacy, the truth is much more complex.
Immigrants became self-sufficient or sought assistance from relatives and friends, not the government
When immigration exploded in America between 1880 and 1920, and ships arriving from primarily European countries into the ports of New York, Baltimore, and Boston, were not entering a welfare state as immigrants do today.
According to a 2002 Brookings article, federal law, established in 1882, stated that immigration officials should refuse entry to any non-citizen who appeared likely to become a "public charge" and deport those who were.
This meant that immigrants became self-sufficient or sought assistance from relatives and friends, not the government.
Close community networks were formed, and strong relationships were made between neighbors helping one another. The common goal of continuance promoted unity and integration. Trials and challenges molded Americas' indomitable spirit, which led to the most prosperous and free country the earth has ever seen.
In a country where nothing was free, the boundless character, inner genius, and resolve of humanity to overcome adversity rose to the occasion and more.
Today, immigrants entering The United States illegally receive multiple benefits ranging in a cost to U.S. taxpayers anywhere from 116 to 200 billion dollars per year.
Illegal immigration takes vital resources away from the countries losing their hardest-working citizens, which creates deeper poverty for those remaining behind.
Those in support of open borders have a misguided simplistic understanding of what is needed by people fleeing to the American border.
Approximately 50 percent of households headed by legal immigrants used at least one welfare program in 2012, compared to less than one-third (30 percent) of native households.
No country on the planet has open borders and a welfare system
A 2015 report from the Center For Immigration Studies states that the high use of welfare associated with less-educated legal immigrants indicates that legalizing illegal immigrants would likely increase welfare costs.
"The overwhelming majority of illegal immigrants have modest levels of education. Once legalized, most illegal immigrants would become less-educated legal immigrants, the group with the highest welfare use rates," the report reads.
No country on the planet has open borders and a welfare system because no nation can survive with open borders while being a welfare state. The massively dysfunctional combination destroys both those entering America and those working to support an ever-growing dependent population.
Instead of building unity through common goals seen in early immigration, both sides naturally feel resentment and anger.
Immigration will always be the life's blood of a growing and expanding nation, but not as it is being implemented today. A sound immigration policy is one where America chooses the best-qualified immigrants to help America grow.
A strong and growing America will then have the resources needed to address those situations in foreign countries that have created the dangerous circumstances forcing people to escape.
Rick Hayes lives in the epicenter of liberal land where reality and truth will never encounter a welcome mat.
An award-winning writer and photographer, with over twenty years of professional experience in both fields, Hayes started his journalism adventure after a successful, eye-opening career as a Banker in Wall Street. Although he spent his early work life surrounded by custom made shirts, expensive ties and the shiniest of shoes, Hayes was an accomplished singer, cutting a few records with a local band and appearing on one of the first cable shows.
Working for a weekly New York paper, in one of the most politically corrupt areas in the State, he began investing his time trying to understand the nature of corruption.
The United States was indeed developed and strengthened with the welcomed inclusion of immigrants worldwide. It is also true that this country has vast amounts of land that can easily accommodate millions of refugees fleeing murderous drug cartels and oppressive dictatorships. So why are millions of Americans against President Bidens' "path for citizenship" to millions of illegal immigrants and his opening up the southern border?
Although the simplistic explanation offered by nearly every news outlet that the reason for the pushback against amnesty and open borders is racism and white supremacy, the truth is much more complex. 
