George Will to Young Migrants: “Welcome to America”
Sunday in a round table discussion on Fox News, iconic conservative journalist George Will took a stand on behalf of Central American immigrant children:
“We ought to say to these children, ‘Welcome to America, you’re going to go to school, and get a job, and become Americans. We have 3,141 counties in this country. That would be 20 per county. The idea that we can’t assimilate these 8-year-old criminals with their teddy bears is preposterous.”
In comments that seemed to stun host Chris Wallace, Will says, “We can handle this problem. … We’ve handled what Emma Lazarus called the ‘wretched refuse of your teeming shore’ a long time ago, and a lot more people than this.” Will also acknowledged that the United States has an additional obligation to help these children as our demand for illegal drugs helps fuel the violent conflict that drove them to our borders.
Will’s principled stance reflects American ideals at their strongest. The United States is indeed able to care for these children in a way that respects the rule of law and provides the humanitarian assistance the country is known for.
