Immigration is becoming an extremely difficult, convoluted thing to talk about. So I’m going to put down a few thoughts. They may not be perfect, and I may miss stuff. But I think they’ll resonate with people on this app and elsewhere. First and foremost, immigration is a privilege. And coming to exploit welfare is robbery. Countries have borders. We have passports, citizenship, national identity, and some sense of allegiance to the place we call home. Moving to another country means joining a society with its own people, history, and expectations. My buddy’s dad, a Greek immigrant, came here in the ’70s with $40. He started as a dishwasher and today is a real estate developer in NYC. Something he said stuck with me. I’m paraphrasing: “I’m a citizen of this country, but I carry the mindset of a guest. I chose to come here, and with that choice comes responsibility: learn the language, respect the people, and contribute. To me, that means being grateful for the opportunity and giving something back.” He’s enormously proud to be American. And he has little patience for people who come here, spit on the flag, and lecture its citizens. If you hate Americans, lecture about white privilege or any of the other million talking points in you back pocket, I beg you to answer. Why did you come here? Because if this place is so bad you shouldn't have voluntarily come. A lot of this debate comes down to how people view the country they chose to call home. No one forced you here. I see people who came for a better life and feel a responsibility to contribute. I also see people who act entitled to be here while showing contempt for the people who live here. They lecture everyone about their moral failings from a pedestal they built for themselves. That’s the attitude I’m talking about. It’s also why I find it funny when people assume all immigrants vote for liberals or Democrats. As though being an immigrant means you must share a particular ideology. Among Asian Americans, Indian Americans, Cuban Americans, Italian Americans, and plenty of others, I see distrust of what immigration has become. The immigrants I’m talking about came for the land of opportunity, with bright eyes and hope. They came through the appropriate channels, worked toward a better life, and wanted to contribute. So when they see behavior that conflicts with those expectations, they don’t automatically defend it because the person involved is also an immigrant. Now, a quick sidebar: immigration has always faced backlash. The Irish, Germans, Italians, and so forth. I’m not pretending otherwise. In my experience, though, most people are perfectly fine with people from different backgrounds. There are also people who truly hate anyone different from themselves. I think racism is part of human nature. It exists on a spectrum. Denying that doesn’t make it untrue. At the same time, I think we are probably the least racist we’ve ever been. I don’t think racism explains all the frustration we’re seeing. I don’t think it is the central problem today. Today, its givers, takers, pride and contempt and 5th dimension of money. Friedman talked about this years ago: “You cannot simultaneously have a welfare state and free immigration.” His concern was that access to public support could change the incentives for coming and impose costs on the people already here. That doesn’t establish what every immigrant contributes or receives today. But it explains the concern I’m trying to describe. If people believe newcomers are putting pressure on resources and opportunities while the people already living here struggle, I think they will push back. And if someone comes for benefits, then gets angry when people resent that, do they really not understand the reaction? The America I remember in the ’90s felt like it had a healthier balance. It felt like most people didn’t care whether you were Asian, Indian, or whatever, because you helped society. That’s my experience. I can’t speak for everyone. But it’s why I think there was an unwritten code: Limited immigration. A net positive. Assimilate. Respect the people and the country. And don’t take opportunity away from the country’s citizens. When I talk about that code being broken, I’m talking about the fraud and abuse I believe have undermined those expectations. That includes concerns about H-1B fraud and employers using the program to undercut wages. Those are different concerns from welfare, but they also feed distrust of how immigration works. People start looking at immigration altogether and thinking: we’re letting people in to steal, loot, and commit fraud while we’re all worse off. I think a lot of people are pro-immigration but overly liberal policies have made the issue extermely polarized and worse off for everyone. And the repeated abuse creates resentment that spills over to all immigrants (even if they aren't migrants or committing fraud). Look at the UT Austin tweet and the Mamdani debate. On one side, anger over illegal immigration and H-1Bs spills onto people who may be Americans born and raised here. We’re so frustrated that we stop making the distinction. On the other, Mamdani is fighting for welfare benefits for Green Card holders, while NYC has billions in debt, while I’m asking who’s supposed to pay when people already here are struggling. We’re lumping American citizens, illegal immigration, work visas, and welfare into one giant argument. Then we wonder why everyone is talking past each other. I think we need a reset. Otherwise none of this works. I hope this made some sense.