The United States has averaged about 1 million new legal immigrants a year since 1964, and some 70 percent to 80 percent of them have been people of color.
By Tim Receveur*
Immigration and multiculturalism are vital to maintaining the productivity and creativity of the United States, says Gary Weaver, a specialist in cross-cultural adaptation from American University (AU) in Washington.
“Some economists argue that the continuing rise in productivity is because of the waves of immigrants,” said Weaver in a live Internet chat September 28.
Immigrants work hard and frequently revitalize run-down neighborhoods, he said. “This has been the traditional pattern in the U.S. No major city mayor wants to stop immigration!”
Weaver, a faculty member of the School of International Service at AU, said many immigrants to the United States “already share many traditional American values and beliefs …. They tend to look toward the future, they want to begin anew, they believe that through their own efforts they can advance economically, and they think they may have a better way of life for their children in America.”
He added that “we need immigrants,” and that Americans are “accustomed to people from other countries coming here and becoming citizens.”
The United States does discourage illegal immigration, Weaver said, and he acknowledged that since the terrorist attacks of 2001 it is more difficult to get a visa.
According to Weaver, the United States has averaged about 1 million new legal immigrants a year since 1964, and some 70 percent to 80 percent of them have been people of color.
“Americans come in all colors, and by 2040 non-Hispanic white people will be a minority. In fact, today, in four of our states [Texas, California, New Mexico, Hawaii] and the District of Columbia, white people are a minority. Two of these states are our largest states!” he said.
Immigrants play a major role in enhancing American society and culture, Weaver said. “On Saint Patrick’s Day, everyone becomes Irish, and this is true of Cinco de Mayo — we all become Mexican. The best metaphor is to say that the U.S. has become a mosaic or tapestry with contrasting colors and textures. If you pull one piece out of the mosaic or one thread out of the tapestry, you destroy it.”
For immigrants in the United States, “you can keep your ethnic culture and native language, but you also will find it easier if you are bicultural and learn the language and culture of traditional Americans,” he said.
*We have yet to hear similar views or expressions coming from such ‘diverse’ nations like China or Africa.