As I watched coverage of Hurrican Florence in the Carolinas, I thought about the people who want to shut off immigration. They say they are just trying to save the soul of America; apparently the white soul of America.

As I watched a segment on the chef who fed thousands during the storm in Puerto Rico and was doing the same in the Carolinas, I thought, “Here’s that immigrant that threatens our nation’s soul!” If he’s a threat, we are in deep trouble.

Last night I heard about Dodge City, Kansas, and its investment in its immigrant community. Apparently, they haven’t drunk the Kool-Aid in which the anti-immigrant people seem to be drowning. The folks in Kansas have discovered a gold mine in their immigrants.

Instead of whining about the thousands who have settled there, they understand that these folks are the workers they desperately need. So, they invested millions in the educational and vocational development of the children of these immigrants. They are quickly turning into the workforce of tomorrow.

The folks in Portland, Maine, are doing something similar. Instead of angry opposition to the new Mainers, they’ve opened their arms to these people. While the anti-immigrant people bemoan the impact of students who don’t speak English well, an elementary school in Portland has shown that these students will do what thousands of immigrants before them have done — these kids perform better than non-immigrants across the state.

It’s time for the Keep America White folks to remember how our Franco-American neighbors got here and what their coming has meant to our state. We wouldn’t be who we are without them. The same will be true of these new Mainers.

Dean Crocker

Manchester

and Estero, Florida

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