Immigration is viewed as an unending source of debasement of America’s biological quality. Sterilizing thousands of the nations socially inadequate is seen as a mere exercise that is fighting against a rising tide. Unless eugenicists could also erect an international barrier to stop continuing waves of unfits, therefore the campaign to keep defective immigrants out of the country was considered equally important to the crusade to cleanse America of its genetic undesirables this means injecting eugenic principles into the immigration process itself both in the United States and abroad.
This is a passage from a letter from Charles B. Davenport to John C. Merriam in June of 1923. This election season the political parties will tell you that the country is far better off without influx of immigrants in it. They will tell you that there’re the ones who are stealing your jobs, using your tax money up for welfare, driving up your insurance premiums. Pay close attention, one hundred years ago they said the same thing.
Be careful what you wish for …
