Writing in the latest issue of the Atlantic magazine, Peter Beinart argues that Democrats need to change their approach to immigration on a number of fronts including putting immigrants’ learning English at the center of their immigration agenda.
In his piece, “How the Democrats Lost Their Way on Immigration,” Beinart notes that there are several reasons why it would be a mistake for liberals to oppose immigration including that immigration benefits immigrants as well as family members in their countries of origin. He also notes the benefits of immigration for the U.S. economy.
At the same time, he argues that “Liberals must take seriously Americans’ yearning for social cohesion. To promote both mass immigration and greater economic redistribution, they must convince more native-born white Americans that immigrants will not weaken the bonds of national identity. This means dusting off a concept many on the left currently hate: assimilation.”
The Immigration and Refugee News Digest 