As some of the tensions abate, at least temporarily, on the issue of immigration, I have been struck by just how differently the immigration debate has played out on a national scale as compared to here at Dartmouth. Our country, or at least Washington D.C., discusses what kind of wall to build, how many troops we can put on the border, and the practical logistics of granting citizenship. Our college talks about the right to immigrate illegally. Nationally, the debate is about securing our borders; at Dartmouth, the debate is... well, there is not really much debate.
Perhaps the closest thing to real discussion centered around whether the people who commissioned the plane bearing the slogan "Illegals are criminals. Send them home," should be condemned as spineless, racist or just wrong. For my part, I was hoping to experience some sort of discussion at what was billed as a "U.S. Immigration Policy Discussion" on the evening of the Immigration Solidarity Rally.
Unfortunately, on that night, well over a hundred students got together with their brains completely resistant to any new information and their minds shut to any novel perspective. There were also a few representatives of the College Republicans, the number of whom could be counted on one hand. Far from providing the kind of balanced, informative discussion that I was looking for, this event showcased a great deal of irrationality and intolerance on the part of the many students engaged in such a noble effort to increase opportunity.
I came to this meeting hoping that with two professors moderating and a very intelligent student body, some thoughtful discussion and debate could take place. But after pro-illegal immigration addresses by both moderators, students launched into a slew of comments condemning the College Republicans for actions that they did not commit, and all other opponents of illegal immigration in general.
Attempting a response, the first College Republican was unable to finish a sentence before being shouted down repeatedly with boos and attacked with the term "racist." Throughout the course of the unbelievably lopsided "discussion," this term would be thrown around quite a bit more by the closed-minded students who clearly came, not in search of information or debate, but perhaps a forum to cement their quite obviously well-established patterns of groupthink.
Discussion proceeded in accordance with this 50-to-one ratio favoring pro-illegal immigration advocates with the occasional correction of factual inaccuracies by anti-illegal immigration advocates. The coup de grace came in response to one College Republican's mention of opposition to illegal immigration in deference to the rule of law and support for ensuring immigrants understand American heritage
Immediately he was condemned as a "racist" for supporting the education of immigrants in American history and government, as is done in standard citizenship tests. He was condemned once again for referring to immigrants who immigrate through procedures that are against the law as illegal immigrants. This second charge of racism came, intimidatingly, from one of the professors who was supposed to be moderating the discussion and later purported to have presented a balanced point of view.
Quite like the independent student who put up disgraceful posters about black voting rights, these proponents of illegal immigration used emotional and unwarranted language to distort a real debate, while at the same time so callously and offensively demeaned the very serious labels of "racist" and "racism."
But getting back to actual political positions, this event put the contingent of Dartmouth radicals into perspective when juxtaposed with the national debate where even Ted Kennedy advocates "a path to earned citizenship," rather than throwing open the borders or blanket amnesty. More likely, and this might well have discussion, is a moderated form of the already passed House "enforcement only bill" that made illegal immigrants subject to felony charges and deportation.
So while I am disappointed that so many people on the Dartmouth campus are so out of touch with the political reality, I am even more disappointed that any possibility of debate is drowned out with shrill and completely unfounded cries of xenophobia. And while The Dartmouth Review, on one side, is condemned for renting a banner plane to spread a legitimate message that is part common sense and part policy opinion, I think what really needs to be condemned are the students and professors on the other side whose wild denunciations of racism only belie their own intolerance.
