Op-Ed: The Affliction of Isolationism

Op-Ed: The Affliction of Isolationism

By Kel Goff

   In 2016, the most prominent catchphrase in the political sphere was Donald Trump’s “Build a Wall!” One of his largest platforms for the presidential election revolved around immigration reform. As we have all heard in regards to Mexico, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” TIME Magazine even has a running list of every time Trump has insulted Mexico and its people. On the other hand, his voters adored his desires for stronger borders, billions of dollars of concrete lining the South, as walls with barbed wire no longer cut it. However, it is no longer just Mexicans serving as targets for Trump. 

   This month, the president announced that nearly 200,000 immigrants from Salvador had to leave the United States. A program that was instituted in 1990 by President Bush, called the Temporary Protected Status, was put in place to allow Salvadoreans who were pummeled by earthquakes a chance to live in America. They were granted legal protections and were able to work in the US for the last 17 years with little conflict. However, Trump has decided that now is the time for them to leave and return to a country many have not been to in years. Typically, Trump has attacked illegal immigrants, as they are the ones we place the blame for our failed economy and lack of available jobs. 

   While many Americans are adamant in their beliefs about whether they think amnesty should be granted to immigrants who came here illegally, the case of the Salvadoreans is regarding immigrants who were granted legal protection just to have them retracted. It is very easy for a president to pledge that he will fix a country’s economy. A candidate will never be elected if they admit that the task of putting all of the pieces back together is monumentally harder than simply creating more jobs. Trump cited illegal immigration as the primary cause for unemployment in America. If that is true, what have hundreds of thousands of Salvadorians who came here legally with protection from the government done to negatively impact our country? 

   Here is the most problematic aspect of Trump’s rhetoric: his promotion of an isolationist agenda. While most Americans would love to say we are the best nation all by ourselves, that simply is not true. We need multiple nations and their people being involved in trade, communications and even God forbid, them living in our country. Without people of varying “s**thole” nations and cultures, we would not be able to export or import goods, maintain alliances with other countries, or help one another out in times of need. Trump’s platform revolved around nationalism and the belief that America can do it all without anyone else. As an extremely paranoid government official, it has been seen throughout his tenure that he perceives other countries are out to get us, so we must get them first. Whether it be Russians, Chinese, Koreans, or apparently now Salvadoreans, we cannot allow them to continue to impair our nation’s economy. 

   Deporting thousands of legal immigrants does not prove a point to other nations to prevent them from sending their people to the US. It merely makes us appear as though we are as intolerant as we were in our days of the Chinese Exclusion Acts of the 1850s. While there are economic and security implications involved in allowing illegal immigration to persist in America, deterrence of legal immigration is downright asinine. Promotion of a nationalist regime that ensures only “our kind” are allowed in greatly reduces the quality of relationships you can have with other countries. It is fiscally responsible legislating to allow people of all creeds within your borders. A national debt serves as evidence of amity with other nations, serving as insurance that neither of you will attack one another anytime soon. 

   Isolationism is a dangerous lifestyle to embrace if you want to maintain your role as the most powerful nation in the world. No country can succeed without the help of others, despite what many nationalists want to believe. By kicking out legal immigrants within our walls, we present to the world how we have devolved into a nation afraid of “outsiders” that are bound to steal American money. This immigration issue is painfully concerning in the fact that it is not wise to attack other nations and their people if you want to maintain your role as the most powerful ally on the globe.