Republican Views On Immigration

 

It's hard to believe, but the Republican party was not always xenophobic. Here are some statements from Reagan and George W. Bush:

This is an excerpt from an article in The Atlantic by Peter Wehner, entitled "The Party of Malice":

And in remarks at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, in 1984, Reagan said:

We call ourselves a nation of immigrants, and that’s truly what we are. We have drawn people from every corner of the Earth. We’re composed of virtually every race and religion, and not in small numbers, but large. We have a statue in New York Harbor that speaks of this, a statue of a woman holding a torch of welcome to those who enter our country to become Americans. She has greeted millions upon millions of immigrants to our country. She welcomes them still. She represents our open door.

All of the immigrants who came to us brought their own music, literature, customs, and ideas. And the marvelous thing, a thing of which we’re proud, is they did not have to relinquish these things in order to fit in. In fact, what they brought to America became American. And this diversity has more than enriched us; it has literally shaped us.

And here's a quote from W., when he was visiting a mosque six days after the terrorist attack on 9/11:

“America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.” America’s 43rd president added this: “Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must not be intimidated in America. That’s not the America I know. That’s not the America I value.” And finally there was this: “This is a great country. It’s a great country because we share the same values of respect and dignity and human worth. And it is my honor to be meeting with [Muslim] leaders who feel just the same way I do. They’re outraged; they’re sad. They love America just as much as I do.”

Those words from a Republican sound incongruous now. The Republican party has gone a long way down the wrong path after those days.