Immigration into the United States is a good thing. It should bring people who are attracted to our relatively free-market economy and free society. These people are generally hard working and want to take the opportunity to improve their economic and other status. Immigrants can bring skills which are needed in our economy and in short supply. We need more immigrants with these characteristics. That all assumes that immigrants come in legally and are screened. Illegal immigration should never be tolerated. “Refugee” status should not be a basis by itself for legal immigration. People need to stay and play a role in fixing their native countries, not come to ours just to escape. And the refugee populations are often troublesome, particularly from undeveloped countries.
Minnesota is an excellent example of positive and more negative immigration. We have a significant Hmong population, which came in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, but the numbers who were settled here was limited. Many were refugees. But they brought a respect for rules and order and a willingness to adapt to the values and social mores common in the US. They have thrived in Minnesota and elsewhere. And then there are the Somalis, who come from a corrupt country, largely Muslim, that was subject to extensive clan and tribal conflicts. While there are many Somalis who work hard, value family and attempt to obey the law; there is also an extensive group of Somalis, both in Minnesota and elsewhere, who brought their culture of corruption with them and have continued their legacy of clan and tribal conflict.
Thus we see the widespread fraud on government programs, likely enabled in part by Somalis in positions of influence. The broader Somali community pretty much completely failed to come forward to expose the fraud, in part out of fear but also because they just accept that kind of corruption. We can only imagine the amount of tax fraud that occurs. And we have a substantial crime wave, not just in the Twin Cities but even in the outstate, due to Somali gangs. So I don’t have any interest in hearing how important the Somalis have been to Minnesota. On the whole, just from an economic perspective, they cost the state and its taxpayers far more than they contribute. The Somali “community” has had little interest in fixing that or in stopping the gang-driven crime.
You can see more information on just how expensive importing so many Somalis to Minnesota has been in the set of charts and other data points here. (CIS Post) The Somalis have not really integrated into Minnesota, they have largely stayed separate. While they tend to be an intelligent people, they also are arrogant in many ways, believing their Muslim religion makes them superior. The Democrats who run Minnesota have not just failed to address these issues, they have facilitated the behavior, largely because they rely on Somali votes and voter fraud to stay in power. We should not allow any group coming from a country like Somalia into the country, the risks of non-integration and bad behavior are too high. And if they do come, extensive efforts should be made to educate them on US laws and values and expectations. It is too late for Minnesota, we have paid a very high price for allowing so many Somalis in and we will continue to pay that price into the forseeable future.
