I sat down with Simon Hankinson, an immigration expert and Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, to tackle the pressing issues shaping America’s immigration landscape. We explored the impacts of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, how they compare to the Trump administration’s approach, and why the border crisis is an “unmitigated, man-made disaster.” The political and moral dilemmas involved in enforcing immigration law present serious challenges, but Simon lays out policy solutions that could finally bring order to the chaos.
Follow Simon on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/WatchfulWaiter1
Check out Simon’s work with The Heritage Foundation: https://www.heritage.org/staff/simon-hankinson
Outline:
[0:00] Unmitigated, man-made immigration disaster
[11:14] The role of child trafficking in the migrant wave
[15:33] Is this really that different than the Ellis Island era?
[26:12] What would good immigration policy actually look like?
[30:28] Welfare and public services create perverse incentives
[36:11] Doesn’t our economy rely on migrant labor?
[38:42] Open borders, immigration enforcement, and the Reagan amnesty
[51:17] Can supply and demand for immigrants reach equilibrium?
[1:03:07] Population collapse, Social Security, and Ponzi schemes
[1:10:58] Do immigrants or Gen Z radicals threaten our culture more?
[1:18:18] What are ‘sanctuary cities’? Do migrants commit more crimes?
[1:26:22] Most disagreement on immigration is about data, not values
[1:31:37] Free speech and open debate make America great
Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JCziABVqqGU
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Immigration Policy Researcher on Border Chaos, Failed Leadership, and the Migrant Surge