Anti-Immigrant Activists Should Check Own Family History First

We came across an interesting Yahoo News article recently by Chief National Correspondent Lisa Belkin, who reports some of that history. Ms. Belkin quotes genealogist Renee Steinig, Jennifer Mendelsohn of #resistancegenealogy, and reporter Rob Eshman, among others, whose research uncovered what might be termed "inconvenient truths" for some of the most out-spoken on this issue.

(European immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, New York - image from ellisisland.se)

• Stephen Miller, White House aide, who has described today's immigrants as dangerous, who thinks immigrants should be able to speak English, and is believed to be one of the architects of the Trump family separation policy:

  
  - Mr. Miller's great-grandfather failed his citizenship test in late 1932 due to what one of the test's administrators labeled as "ignorance"; this characterization probably was not true, but reflects the same anti-immigrant bias we hear today.

  
  - On his mother's side, an ancestor came to America due to persecution (the same reason many of today's immigrants are leaving their homes) and then brought many relatives over afterward, an example of the "chain migration" many on the right like to disparage.

  
  - Finally, the 1910 census reports that Mr. Miller's great-grandmother, who had been in this country for four years at that point, still could not speak English.

• Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King, who was quoted as saying, "We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies":

  
  - Mr. King may have forgotten that his grandmother arrived in America in 1894 as a four-year old, along with other infant siblings.

(European immigrants at Ellis Island - image from pinterest.com)

• Fox contributor Tomi Lahren, who recently said, "You don't just come into this country with low skills, low education, not understanding the language and come into our country because someone says it makes them feel nice. That's not what this country is based on":

  
  - The 1930 census reports that Ms. Lahren's great-great grandmother , who had been in this country for ten years, still spoke no English.

• Continuing with Ms. Lahren, who last year tweeted, "We are indeed a nation of immigrants. We are also a nation of laws. Respect our laws and we welcome you. If not, bye":

  
  - Unfortunately for Ms. Lahren, she may not have realized that her great-great-grandfather had been indicted for forging his naturalization papers.

• Virginia Congressman Rep. Bob Goodlatte's website says, "I do not support a special pathway to citizenship that rewards those who have broken our immigration laws":

  
  - Mr. Goodlatte may be surprised to hear that his grandfather had lied during his naturalization process but still was permitted citizenship.

• White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, while not as extreme as some of the far right zealots on this issue, recently discussed the difficulties of today's immigrants assimilating into American culture because, among other reasons, they are uneducated and do not speak English:

  
  - The 1900 census reports that one of Mr. Kelly's great-grandfathers, a day laborer (and likely uneducated), had been in this country 18 years and still could not speak English.

  
  

(More European immigrants arrive at Ellis Island - image from pinterest.com)

There are many Americans today who are lucky the more restrictive laws of today were not in place when their ancestors arrived, because many of those ancestors probably would not have been allowed in.