Black abolitionists and civil rights leaders have been unapologetic about putting Americans first in immigration policy. As Pamela Denise Long writes in American Affairs (“Immigration Viewed From the Back of the Hiring Line,” August, 2022):
“The advocacy of Frederick Douglass, a former slave and presidential adviser, alongside other black icons like A. Philip Randolph and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, still offers the basis of sound policy today. In the generation following emancipation, Frederick Douglass, whose own family was displaced by biased immigrant-led labor unions, called for an immigration moratorium so that formerly enslaved Americans could find stable financial footing via competitive wages.”
We don’t need a moratorium to achieve a more-just immigration system. Congress needs only to limit family-based immigration to spouses and minor children, and require employers to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the United States.
Sincerely,
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
