My great-great grandfather immigrated from England in the 1860s and established a fruit farm in Monroe County, NY, a location of significance to many Utahns. Similarly, my grandmother’s father’s ancestry goes back to Massachusetts in the 1600s. Some fought in the Revolutionary War, sat in the pews with John Adams and are buried in the John Hancock National Cemetery.
Were their immigration stories different from those of today? Does my distant European immigrant ancestry make me more “American” than recent arrivals? All sought safety and opportunity.
American Immigration Council 2023 data show that 8.9% of Utahns are immigrants. They worked in many sectors, spent $9.1 billion and paid $3.1 billion in taxes. Importantly, immigrants have lower crime rates than non-immigrants.
No one advocates for “open” borders or opposes prosecuting and deporting violent criminals. Rather, we beg for rational, humane reforms — not policies that harm our economy, terrorize communities, separate families and arrest persons trying to follow our laws.
The administration’s policies and actions stoke hate, anger and fear; threaten civil liberties; militarize cities; and gut our Constitution. We beg elected officials and all Americans to look at facts, push back, follow the law and protect our constitutional government.
Ellen Brady, MD, MPH
Murray