Secretary of State John Kerry asserted Friday that opponents of the Obama administration’s immigration actions fear that taking in more people from different areas of the world would somehow put America “at risk.”
Kerry spoke at an event honoring immigrants in Washington, and noted that everyone who comes to the United States is looking for “opportunity and liberty, and hope, freedom.”
“Frankly, it would be nice if that same lesson were fully understood by those who believe that America’s future is now somehow at risk because we reflect such a vast mixture of backgrounds and types,” he said. “There are some who suggest that no society as culturally diverse as ours can be as efficient or productive as one where most people are of the same religion or the same race.”
“But those who believe that miss the essential point — America is at its best not about groups working for themselves; it’s about free individuals becoming the best that they can be and, in so doing, making America together all that it is able to be,” he added.
Kerry’s assertion goes against the stated reasons that Republicans often give when opposing Obama’s attempt to unilaterally change U.S. immigration policy. Many Republicans have said they don’t oppose the steady stream of legal immigration that allows around 1 million people into the country each year.
They have also argued that Obama’s plan to let illegal immigrants stay and work in the United States make it harder for legal residents to find jobs. Some also add that plan runs the risk of letting some stay that have criminal records, and that Obama has eased back on attempts to deport criminal aliens.
