Is there any merit to opposing mass immigration for economic reasons?

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[–]fukit 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I feel like upper and middle class Americans are almost delusional in their belief that mass immigration is good for the economy overall. It certainly benefits those at the top, especially the top 2%, at least in the short term, but for almost everyone else it's a net loss, and it's devastating for blue collar workers and their children.

No one who comes from a poor or working class environment and didnt just go right into college out of highschool believes this aside from maybe the very dumbest who just believes whatever they see on TV. Anyone with an above average IQ from that background intuitively knows or has personally seen how this argument has no basis in reality, regardless of what is claimed happens theoretically.

[–]radicalcentristNational Centrism 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think immigration is like diminishing returns.

When America was first founded, it was just 13 colonies with most of the continent being unexplored at the time. It made sense to bring in new people who could settle those new areas.

But after the 1900s, importing new people wasn't worth it. Hell, the U.S even passed laws in the 1920s that was meant to slow it down significantly.

The immigrants who arrive today, aren't going to build new roads, schools, hospitals etc. They're just here to compete against the already existing natives for the same resources. So in that effect, mass immigration is now a negative influence.

[–]NeoRail 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The thing about upper class people is that many of them don't even speak to anyone outside of their narrow social bubble, nor do they care about anything outside that bubble. Consequently, they take all of their information about the job market and the way the lower classes and immigrants live from TV. Their knowledge about immigrants tends to be restricted to TV catchphrases like "they came here because they believe in the American dream", "scientists, doctors, engineers" etc. etc.