The United States is a country of immigrants. There were an estimated 46 million foreign-born Americans in 2022. That is 14% of the population. This does not take into account illegal immigrants. For many years, the United States had an open border policy and immigration was generally welcomed. No visas or passports were required to enter the country and obtaining citizenship was a relatively simple process. It was only until 1875 that restrictions began to be placed on the entry of immigrants deemed undesirable, meaning East Asians coming to the United States for forced labor, East Asian women engaged in prostitution, and all persons convicted in their own country. But despite these exceptions, Americans encouraged relatively free and open immigration. In fact, from 1783 to 2019, more than 86 million immigrants had entered the United States. And New York had natural advantages that quickly made it the place where most immigrants arrived. Its location and the depth of its harbor allowed it to become the ideal spot for trade with Europeans. And because New York had no dominant religion, there were fewer barriers against Jewish and Catholic immigrants. The authorities' interest in increasing trade opportunities with Europe made the city relatively more tolerant than other colonies. And that made it very attractive to immigrants. So the initial tolerance of immigrants by the United States, and especially by New York, resulted in a cosmopolitan city where more than 200 languages are now spoken. However, in the words of New York Mayor Eric Adams, the recent influx of immigrants will destroy New York City. This he was saying in early September 2023. "I've never had a problem in my life that I didn't see an end to. I don't see an end to it. This issue will destroy New York City." So the question is, if the city is used to receiving tens of thousands of immigrants every year what made this time different and they are talking about an immigration crisis that will destroy the city?
Some sources of interest:
- Cato Institute (2021). A Brief History of U.S. Immigration Policy from the Colonial Period to the Present Day
www.cato.org/p...
- Council on Foreign Relations (2023). Why New York Is Experiencing a Migrant Crisis
www.cfr.org/ar...
- The Economist (2022). America’s border crisis reaches New York, by bus
www.economist....
- Vox (2023). New York City’s not-so-sudden migrant surge, explained
www.vox.com/po...
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