Immigration and Donald Trump’s grievance mentality!
VOL. 2. No 31, NOV. 27, 2024: BREAKING NEWS ... 16% of American nurses are immigrants ...Undocumented workers pay a WHOPPING $97 billion in taxes ... READ MORE!
The ‘Bitta” Truth! …. Immigration and Donald Trump’s Grievance Mentality!
By Norris R McDonald, SULFABITTAS NEWSMAGAZINE
“If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad, hungry dogs.
Making the mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die!”
– Claude McKay
As the haunting spectre of a second Trump presidency dawns upon America, the world braces for deeper economic turmoil. Trump’s return to power promises to exacerbate an already fragile global economy, which has been faltering under President Biden’s chaotic war-driven inflationary policies.
The economic consequences of Trump’s hardline stance on immigration – particularly his vow to expel undocumented immigrants – will undoubtedly further drive up prices, destabilise markets, and harm families both in the United States and abroad.
Countries like Jamaica, where remittances are a crucial pillar of the economy, will especially feel the sting.
IMMIGRANTS PAY TAXES AND BUILD AMERICA
In 2021, immigrants in the United States sent a record $3.497 billion in remittances to Jamaica. This is an essential lifeline for countless Jamaican families. However, if Trump’s proposed immigration policies come to fruition and force undocumented workers to leave the US, the flow of this vital money could be significantly reduced.
Many of these undocumented workers, particularly those from poorer countries like Jamaica, occupy essential low-wage jobs. This includes childcare, eldercare, and housekeeping.
These roles are often overlooked and undervalued, but they form the backbone of American households, particularly in the middle-class white communities where many families rely on affordable immigrant labour.
From personal care aides to cooks, immigrants (many undocumented) perform critical tasks that sustain the US economy. If Trump’s policies successfully remove these workers from the country, the US faces the prospect of severe labour shortages that could make it increasingly difficult for Americans to access essential services.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF IMMIGRANTS TO THE US ECONOMY
* Immigrants are a significant economic force in the United States. In 2022, immigrants contributed a remarkable $1.6 trillion to the national income, according to the American Immigration Council.
* Over 15% of all doctors, nurses and other health care professionals immigrants are
*Immigrants are judges, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals.
* Jamaican Immigrants such as General Colin Powell served in the U.S Armed forces and have given their lives for America.
* Undocumented workers to have performed critical and essential duties and from their work they have paid over $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes that same year.
* Despite this considerable financial contribution, many undocumented workers will never benefit from the social programs they help fund. This is a glaring injustice, as these workers face exploitation, discrimination, and the ever-present threat of deportation.
Trump’s racist immigration policies will worsen the economic climate, particularly for immigrant communities who are facing financial hardships. Now they will be striving to survive in an uncertain, fear-driven, hostile political environment.
THE ‘SELF-DEPORTATION’ CRISIS
One extremely troubling consequence of Trump’s racist and xenophobic immigration rhetoric is the growing phenomenon of ‘self-deportation’. Immigrants from poorer countries are already fleeing the US for more welcoming nations like Canada, where immigration policies are less punitive.
However, this exodus is not without significant consequences. The loss of immigrant labour – especially in jobs on which Americans have become increasingly dependent, such as construction and other essential services – will strain the US economy.
It’s not just immigrants from countries such as Jamaica that stand to suffer. Racist white Americans who welcomed Trump and his anti-immigration rhetoric will have a rude re-awakening!
These are critical questions that they will now have to answer:
• Who will take care of the elderly?
• Who will clean their homes?
• Who will care for their children?
• Who will provide construction and other essential labour services?
• Who will provide essential agricultural labour?
THE NEED FOR POLITICAL MOBILIZATION
A critical challenge that we face today, in the black diaspora, is the lack of adequate political representation for immigrants.
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