An immigrant’s bill of responsibilities

The recent national debate over what Haitian migrants may or may not be doing in Springfield, Ohio, has generated more outrage than insight. The left and its media allies are eager to focus on extreme claims, such as the accusations of Haitians consuming local pets, because these serve as convenient distractions. This focus diverts attention from the real harm, dislocation, and economic strain imposed on communities not just in Ohio but across America.

Cities and towns suddenly find themselves accommodating thousands of new arrivals from vastly different nations. These migrants often speak a foreign language, have little understanding of American cultural norms, and bring many needs that burden working-class residents. These residents have every right to prioritize their own families over strangers who have been allowed to flood into the country.

Americans warmly embrace anyone — immigrants included — who cherish this nation and express their pride in being part of it.

Leftists attempt to lump all anti-immigrant sentiment into a broad category of racism, nativism, and xenophobia. By doing so, they dodge legitimate questions about the Biden-Harris administration’s open-border policy.

I want to distinguish between pure xenophobia and legitimate concerns about illegality and assimilation, starting with my own background as an immigrant. I came to this country at age 4 with my parents and maternal grandparents as refugees from communism in the former Soviet Union. We arrived through the front door, not through unguarded back channels.

Like many immigrants, my parents learned English, acquired new skills, and reinvented their careers. They worked long hours, moving our family from poor urban neighborhoods to solidly middle-class suburbs and eventually into the upper middle class. Each step forward also brought improvements in the public schools I attended.

My parents immersed themselves in American culture, learning the country’s history, reading its best literature, and staying informed through political news and commentary. We regularly watched shows like "The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour" and "The McLaughlin Group" on PBS, back when the network provided reliable insights instead of today’s steady stream of crude and shameless left-wing propaganda.

My parents embraced American culture out of natural curiosity, not because they felt morally obligated to do so. Yet I often heard them criticize their peers who remained isolated in Russian-speaking enclaves like Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. These people never bothered to learn English or understand the broader culture around them, and in some cases, they relied heavily on government benefits instead of working.

I feel the same disdain when observing the illegal immigrant crisis in New York City. I've watched Spanish-speaking women, often with school-age children in tow instead of in school, selling candy on the subways. As they move between subway cars, they repeat the word “chocolate” in Spanish, pronouncing the silent “e” as é.

My inner monologue often goes, You’re saying one simple word repeatedly, selling chocolate in the subway in America. Can’t you at least make the minimal effort to learn how to pronounce that word in English?

Today, the left’s discussion about immigrants seems narrowly focused on immigrants' needs and rights, rarely addressing their obligations. The problems that have emerged with Syrian refugees in Germany and North African immigrants in France and Belgium — warnings of our own potential future — largely stem from their failure to assimilate. These issues are compounded by host nations failing to promote assimilation and allowing the formation of insular ethnic and racial ghettos with norms vastly different from those of contemporary Europeans.

With this background in mind, I have compiled a document I believe every new immigrant should read and absorb. This document, posted in their languages and in English, should be available at every intake center and immigration bureau. It should also be distributed to prospective immigrants, even if they are still in their countries of origin and applying for entry to America.

This document is more than just text for a pamphlet to hand out to prospective immigrants; it represents a vision of what it means to be an immigrant. It’s a vision rooted in gratitude and echoes President John F. Kennedy’s famous words: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

Too many of us have lost sight of this vision, and it’s one around which our broken immigration policy must be reoriented.

A few words for newcomers

You have chosen to come to America. America is a nation of immigrants and, as such, has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants — including many immigrants who have gone on to accomplish amazing things contributing to the country’s story. That might include immigrants exactly like you. To find out whether you are one of the immigrants America would welcome, you should read and understand this immigrant’s bill of responsibilities in full.

Immigrating to a different country can be a thrilling journey that may offer you exciting new freedoms and opportunities. It is a journey that will be especially enticing to those who now find themselves in nations in which such freedoms and opportunities may be more limited.

But an immigrant’s journey is also very often a difficult one, full of setbacks and obstacles. If you do not know English or come from a culture very different from ours, you will find yourself in a very foreign place indeed.

Any education and job skills you have currently may not match employment opportunities currently available in America or in certain regions of the country, so you may have to work hard to re-educate or re-qualify yourself to pursue an entirely different kind of career. Consumer items, including essentials, may cost more than you are used to. Like every country, we do things our own way, and so our customs and traditions might be very different from yours. The social services we offer may also differ from what you are accustomed to.

America offers a lot to the right person, but we also expect a lot in return. Like every American citizen, every immigrant to this country has not only rights but also responsibilities. Because you, as an immigrant, would be new to America, your list of responsibilities may be even greater. Below is a list of six of the most important responsibilities you will be expected to take on if you decide to come to America.

Consider these responsibilities carefully when making your decision. These are our expectations of you. If, in your heart of hearts, you firmly believe that you are prepared to meet these responsibilities and more, then you may be exactly what we are looking for.

But if after reviewing this list, you are unsure of your ability to make a sincere effort to meet these challenges, please, for both your sake and ours, reconsider your decision to come to America. If you are already here, you may want to reflect on whether staying is the right choice or whether returning to your country, or moving to another that better suits your situation, might be a wiser path.

Choosing not to come, or not to stay, does not mean you are a bad person. In fact, it means you are thoughtful and reflective — honest enough to recognize that a different path may better align with your unique skills, talents, and temperament. There is a place for everyone in this world, and we wish you the best of luck in finding a place that feels exactly right for you.

Here, then, is the American immigrant’s bill of responsibilities.

If you come to America, you must enter legally. Illegal immigrants will not be tolerated in America under any circumstances. Not only is coming in illegally often a dangerous journey, but also, even if you succeed in getting in illegally, you risk deportation, constantly living in fear, a perilous and difficult life spent in the shadows, hiding from authorities, trying to find work from unscrupulous employers willing to hire illegal workers, often precisely because they are eager to pay less and take advantage of illegal workers who will be afraid to complain if they are being mistreated. For these and other reasons, illegal immigrants will never be welcome in America.

You must familiarize yourself with, respect, and abide by our laws. Entering legally is just the first step in the right direction. Like every country on Earth, we have our laws, and we expect everyone to abide by those laws. We also have an old saying here that you may have heard in your country: “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” That means that you must be prepared to educate yourself about what the law requires, allows, and does not allow in the nation, as well as in your state and municipality. That includes tax laws, employment laws, rules of the road, criminal laws, and many other laws you will encounter while you are here.

You must learn English. If you do not speak our language, you will find life in America hard going. Career opportunities and social opportunities will be limited. You will not understand much of what is going on around you. You will never feel fully included and never come to feel like this county is your own. You will never feel at home here. For all those reasons, while no one is expecting perfection, making a sincere and persistent effort to learn our language is mandatory, not optional.

You must familiarize yourself with our customs, culture, and history. Knowing our language is a great start, but to really feel drawn into the American experience, you must make the additional effort to understand what our society is all about, both in the present and in the past. Like most people around the world, Americans are not expecting foreigners who did not grow up or go to school here to know chapter and verse of our customs, culture, and history, and many of us have some substantial gaps in our own knowledge, especially when it comes to our history, but, as with our language, making an effort goes a long way — not to mention that acquiring such learning will have major benefits for you as well, orienting and grounding you as you embark on your new life here.

You must seek gainful, legal employment and acquire the education and skills necessary for such employment. For all good and honest people aiming to provide for themselves and their families, this should be clear: You need to be in the best position possible to find a stable, legal job that will allow you to support yourself and those who depend on you.

While various programs across the country might offer temporary assistance, remember that such aid is just that — temporary. It is your responsibility to do everything in your power to secure employment or, if necessary, gain the education or training needed to land a good job. This might require you to be realistic about the adequacy of your current skills and education. What you did for work in your home country may not suffice in America.

This is what we mean when we say that being an immigrant in a new country can be a tough challenge. America offers opportunities for success to people from all walks of life, but to seize those opportunities, you must work hard. If you are not prepared to put in the effort, another country may be a better fit for you.

You must integrate and assimilate. America takes pride in its tolerance and acceptance of diverse people from different cultures, languages, and belief systems. The beauty of this country is that you do not need to completely abandon your identity to thrive. However, integration is essential.

A nation cannot thrive unless its citizens share a sense of community and affection for one another. This sense of unity cannot grow if we focus too much on the ethnic, racial, or religious identities that separate us. It is impossible to foster American nationhood when divided loyalties pull us toward foreign allegiances.

For immigrants, this duty to integrate is especially important. It can be easy to stay rooted in the familiar — your community, language, and customs — but it is your responsibility to fight against this tendency. We do not expect you to abandon your heritage, but we do expect you to embrace the broader American culture.

This might mean seeking friendships and activities with those different from you and ensuring that your children are fully immersed in the diverse American experience. By choosing to immigrate, you have already left behind your old country and culture. If you are here legally and intend to stay, America has welcomed you.

In return, America expects you to welcome it into your heart. As an immigrant, you have a unique opportunity to show your loyalty and patriotism to this country. Americans warmly embrace those, immigrants included, who cherish this nation and express their pride in being part of it.