Politicians who fancy themselves clever have consistently used the issue of immigrants to exploit people struggling with economic hardship. Because of dim-witted figures like Trump—who lack the qualifications to govern, possess no understanding of economics, and either fail to see the reality or choose to hide it from the public—a segment of the population has come to view immigrants as the root cause of the country’s fundamental problems.
In truth, controlled immigration is vital for a nation’s service sector. Yet, because many people set aside reason and act purely on emotion, such politicians have often commanded respect—even as they steered their countries toward ruin.
In the UK, this trend was driven by figures like Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson. Nigel Farage—whose own daughters do not even speak English—pushed for Brexit by claiming that immigrants were failing to integrate and were destroying the country. We left the EU, and the result was a disaster. The number of immigrants spiraled out of control. Due to customs duties, prices for everything from energy to food skyrocketed. Small business owners could not find workers, and the administration under Andy Burnham eventually concluded that rejoining the EU was the only solution—a sound judgment!
Trump took full control of the Mexican border. Immigrants who were caught were sent back; thousands were removed, yet nothing in the country changed. Nearly 70 percent of the American public continues to grapple with economic hardship, unemployment rates are rising, and everything is far more expensive than it used to be.
The midterm elections demonstrated that anti-immigrant policies have failed to resolve any underlying issues; rather, they have served merely as a weapon for opportunistic leaders looking to exploit the public.
It has become clear that far-right, anti-immigrant leaders use this rhetoric solely as a means to seize power.