(Unless you’re an immigrant)
The Wall St Journal went to Seymour, Indiana (the “small town” John Mellencamp is from) where they can’t wait to get rid of all the immigrants they believe are polluting their lives:
[R]esidents have complained for years that a flood of unauthorized migrants under the Biden administration strained schools, hospitals and housing. Now, with President-elect Donald Trump promising to conduct mass deportations and shut down illegal border crossings, the pro-crackdown forces are feeling emboldened. They are organizing opposition to illegal immigration online and in local government meetings and pushing for new legislation and action at the state level.
“Trump brought hope,” said Dana Clark, 66, who also spoke at the city council meeting. “Day one is going to see the biggest deportation ever.”
Incorporated in the 1860s, Seymour sits at the intersection of two major railroads. Jobs are plentiful at large manufacturers such as auto-parts suppliers and agricultural businesses, including the country’s second-largest egg producer.
The hunger for labor has long drawn immigrants, who began arriving in significant numbers in the 1990s, mainly from Mexico, Guatemala and other Central American countries. For most of the period since, the flow of arrivals was manageable and generated few flashpoints, residents say.
sabel Ponce, a 52-year-old Mexican immigrant and legal permanent resident, arrived in Seymour 26 years ago and began working at a printing facility. She later started a beauty salon that steadily expanded over the years, and more recently opened a cafe. She said she sympathizes with longtime residents concerned about the burdens of new arrivals, but added that migrants play an essential economic role.
“Latino labor is very important here,” Ponce said. “You tell a Latino to work from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night, they will work it.”
The state had initiated a study in Seymour that led to a proposal to open an immigrant welcome center. The town’s white residents went crazy and voted it down.
At the meeting, speakers fumed about migrants allegedly failing to assimilate, committing crimes and crowding multiple families into small homes. Republican state Rep. Jim Lucas, who is from Seymour, said a downtown health clinic was overwhelmingly used by immigrants. He said data showed the school system’s English-learner population had soared in recent years—a complaint echoed by some residents who said the newcomers were absorbing teachers’ attention and slowing classroom learning.
Nicholson said later that of 21 metrics tracked by the police department, such as disorderly conduct and sex offenses, 17 were down over the past year. Seymour Police Chief Greg O’Brien said the overall crime rate is flat or down, but traffic-related cases, like driving without a license, are up. The schools superintendent didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Just like in Springfield Ohio the residents got incensed by an immigrant who was involved in a fatal car accident and they have organized to ensure their representatives know they don’t want any immigrants left in their town.
One recent day at Larrison’s Diner, a popular restaurant downtown, Tim Smallwood, 63, said he was all for mass deportations. He thinks the Trump administration should first target unauthorized migrants with criminal records and then pressure other migrants to “self-deport.”
“It’s the only way they’ll solve this problem,” Smallwood said. “You’ve got to make it hard enough on them that they don’t want to come here in the first place.”
Do you ever notice how they say this stuff like it’s totally normal — as if they’re talking about getting rid of animals, not human beings? It’s stomach churning to hear it discussed in those terms especially when they seem to think they’re being “humane.”
The unemployment rate is only 3.3% in that area, quite a bit lower than the national average. And wages are lower too. Who’s going to do all those jobs?