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Bush: Immigrants Have Always Been a Force for Good in America

By Cory Allen Heidelberger on 2021-04-18

While Presidential aspirant and part-time Governor Kristi Noem says people who aren’t American don’t deserve her help, former President George W. Bush , who is promoting his new book of portraits of immigrants, says newcomers are good for America:

I set out to accomplish two things: to share some portraits of immigrants, each with a remarkable story I try to tell, and to humanize the debate on immigration and reform.

I hope that these faces, and the stories that accompany them, serve as a reminder that immigration isn’t just a part of our heritage. New Americans are just as much a force for good now, with their energy, idealism and love of country, as they have always been [President George W. Bush, “Immigration Is a Defining Asset of the United States,” excerpt from Washington Post op-ed, posted by George W. Bush Presidential Center, 2021.04.16].

President-cum-painter Bush says we should drop the “rancor” over immigration and welcome the newcomers who make America great:

“The help and respect historically accorded to new arrivals is one reason so many people still aspire and wait to become Americans. So how is it that in a country more generous to new arrivals than any other, immigration policy is the source of so much rancor and ill will?” Bush wrote. “The short answer is that the issue has been exploited in ways that do little credit to either party. And no proposal on immigration will have credibility without confidence that our laws are carried out consistently and in good faith.”

Bush advocated for embracing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and providing a pathway to citizenship for immigrants brought to the US as children. He also proposed “a secure and efficient border,” adding that “we should apply all the necessary resources — manpower, physical barriers, advanced technology, streamlined and efficient ports of entry, and a robust legal immigration system — to assure it” [Rachel Janfaza, “George W. Bush Calls for Bipartisan Immigration Action,” CNN, 2021.04.16].

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17.4% of America’s 2019 labor force was born elsewhere. According to the widely-cited research of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, just the undocumented portion of that foreign-born labor force (which our dairies and construction companies and tourist traps keep hiring) paid $5.3 million in state and local taxes in South Dakota in 2014 and would pay more if we gave them documents and let them stay. South Dakota’s undocumented workers paid 8.0% of their income to support state and local government, while the richest 1% of South Dakotans paid only 1.8% of their income for the state and local services that sustain their quality of life.

Human lives have much more value than the labor and taxes they contribute. But even the coldest bean counter would look at all those folks who aren’t Americans who want to come work and live here and say, Let ’em in!

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4 Comments

  1. Mark Anderson 2021-04-18 13:03

    You do mean Bush of the former GOP, which is now the party of the trumpie lying losers. You have feel sad for them don’t you? Bush is actually a pretty good painter, too. Not a subtle painter like Churchill was but has a much greater range of work and fun and humor in it also.

  2. leslie 2021-04-18 17:07

    Sen. Dick Durbin: “[Vanita Gupta] has a proven record of working across political and ideological lines to uphold the rules of law in a nonpartisan fashion. I don’t think President Biden could’ve picked a better nominee.”

  3. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2021-04-19 05:40

    George Bush never was one for subtlety… but he did say in his CBS Sunday Morning interview that Winston Churchill’s essay “Painting as a Pastime” inspired his late-blooming interest in creating art.

    Bush also criticizes those who use immigration for partisan fear-mongering instead of seeking real policy solutions:

    Mr. Bush said, “The problem with the immigration debate is that one can create a lot of fear: They’re comin’ after you. But it’s a nation that is willing to accept the refugee or the harmed or the frightened, that to me is a great nation. And we are a great nation.”

    The former president supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, if they pass a background check and pay back taxes.

    “And if that were the proposal by President Biden,” asked O’Donnell, “would you lobby your own party to support that?”

    “I am right now,” he replied. “Whether my own party listens to me or not’s another question” [Norah O’Donnell, “George W. Bush on Painting a New Vision of Immigrants,” CBS Sunday Morning, 2021.04.18].

    Deviating from Churchill’s approach to art, Bush says he’s using his paintings to move public discourse:

    Mr. Bush’s position on immigration does set him apart from his party’s most strident voices. And while he no longer has the bully pulpit of the presidency, he hopes his paintings will speak louder than words.

    O’Donnell asked, “The portraits that you have done are beautiful. But how does it change policy?”

    “It doesn’t,” Mr. Bush said. “But it’s a part of hopefully creating a better understanding about the role of immigrants in our society. Mine is just a small voice in what I hope is a chorus of people saying, ‘Let’s see if we can’t solve the problem'” [O’Donnell, 2021.04.18].

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