Election Reflections As the Executive Director of HIAS Pennsylvania

One of the big takeaways from the election: “It’s the economy stupid”. Only this time, it isn’t that the loser of the election didn’t care about the economy. It’s that many of the voters didn’t understand that the winner’s apparent wealth (he’s filed for bankruptcy several times, has been sued multiple times for failing to pay his workers and his contractors and doesn’t share his tax returns so it’s not actually clear that he is wealthy) is not going to translate into lower inflation or other economic gains for them.

So, there are two large takeaways: one, truly, it’s always, ultimately, about the economy and two, we, as a country, need to do a much better job providing education about inflation and its causes so that when people, as they are now, are hurting because they can barely afford basics such as milk and eggs, they understand which candidate and which party is most likely to create and implement policies that make those basics more affordable.

Which brings me to a third takeaway – while yes, despite popular statements that the economy is suffering, the economy, at this moment, is actually quite strong. So, why the popular “misconception”? Because people are struggling to afford basics like milk and eggs. National employment rates, the strength of the dollar abroad, gradually lowering interest rates are nowhere near as important to the average American as whether, when they do their weekly grocery shopping, they are able to purchase what they need. And the fact remains, at this moment, the average American is not able to do this.

And this, my friends, brings me to the fourth and final takeaway, which is where the sadness and the despair threatens us. While we can all relate to economic concerns, ultimately, we can’t understand why these concerns would override the hate that was so clearly demonstrated in this election. I don’t have words of wisdom on that one except as it relates to a fundamental lesson that needs – in this moment more than ever – to be completely absorbed by the American public.

You cannot have a strong economy – with new businesses, new inventions, new jobs and stronger businesses, a larger tax base and thriving consumerism that feeds all of this and helps makes eggs and milk affordable – without immigrants. And this is true whether the immigrants are documented or undocumented, whether skilled or unskilled. 100 years ago this past June the 1924 National Origins Act passed, slamming the door shut on immigrants and immigration for what ultimately was more than forty years. The result was significantly fewer patents filed, significantly fewer businesses created, a shrinking tax base that continues to impact social security and our school systems even through to today. It also resulted in increased threats to national security as we lost technology races around the globe which resulted in our inability to fight modern threats. And, to note the human cost, it resulted in the deaths of more than 6 million people trying to flee Nazi Germany who were unable to enter the safety of our country. 6 million people, one of whom could have discovered the cure for cancer, written the epic story for our times, negotiated, later, obviously, peace in the Middle East. Or, simply, lived a life of joy and sorrow, and everything in between, contributing their everyday humanness to all of us.

So, a grand national upset, four incredibly important lessons learned. We, and the immigrants we were able to assist in uplifting all of us, have been here for 140 years. We will not despair. We will be here for the next four years and beyond – providing immigration legal services, national, state and local advocacy, defending our clients, defending ourselves and working as hard as we can to improve and uplift the economy and our society for all, regardless of who is in the White House.

– Cathryn Miller-Wilson, Executive Director