Immigrants have long been the backbone of America’s strength — powering its economy, enriching its culture, and reinforcing its global leadership. Yet under the banner of “making America great again,” President Donald Trump has advanced immigration policies critics say undermine that very foundation, threatening innovation, economic stability, and the nation’s moral standing.
To understand what is at stake, one must look at how deeply immigrants sustain the American workforce, drive entrepreneurship, and secure the country’s competitive edge.
The Current State of Immigration
More than one million farmworkers in the United States are undocumented, including roughly 40 percent of crop laborers. Overall, immigrants account for about 70 percent of the nation’s agricultural workforce — a reality that underscores how dependent American food production is on immigrant labor.
The consequences of immigration crackdowns are already visible. Following intensified ICE raids in California’s Central Valley in July 2025, many farmworkers stopped reporting to work, leaving crops unharvested and rotting in the fields. Farmers suffered significant financial losses, food waste increased, and prices began rising for consumers.
Immigrants are equally vital in other sectors. They make up roughly one-third of workers in meat processing and more than 80 percent of food manufacturing roles. In construction and hospitality, their presence is similarly pronounced. Immigrants represent about 18 percent of the leisure and hospitality workforce and more than 30 percent of hotel employees nationwide.
Immigrants in STEM and Innovation
The impact extends far beyond manual labor. According to the National Science Foundation, foreign-born workers account for approximately 22 percent of the U.S. STEM workforce. Among science and engineering professionals with doctoral degrees, nearly 43 percent are foreign-born. In computer and mathematical sciences at the doctoral level, the figure exceeds 55 percent.
About 30 percent of full-time science and engineering faculty at U.S. universities were born abroad, with particularly high representation at research-intensive institutions.
Restricting entry for scientists and engineers from countries such as India, China, Mexico, and Argentina would create severe talent shortages in critical fields. Immigrant inventors and entrepreneurs contribute disproportionately to U.S. patents, high-growth startups, and advanced-degree STEM employment.
Research consistently shows that immigrants are overrepresented among founders of high-tech firms and “unicorn” startups. Curtailing their participation risks slowing innovation, weakening scientific progress, and eroding America’s technological and economic leadership.
Immigrants in Uniform
Immigrants have also served the nation in uniform for generations. In 2017, approximately 190,000 foreign-born individuals were on active duty — about 4.5 percent of U.S. service members. As of 2024, roughly 8,000 non-citizens enlist annually.
By 2022, about 731,000 foreign-born veterans lived in the United States, representing 4.5 percent of the veteran population. From the Revolutionary War to modern conflicts, immigrants have played pivotal roles in defending the nation. They have received more than 20 percent of all Medals of Honor, underscoring the depth of their contribution to national security.
Reagan’s Vision of America
Few articulated the importance of immigrants more eloquently than President Ronald Reagan. In his farewell address, Reagan emphasized what he saw as America’s unique promise:
“You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman… But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.”
Reagan described immigration as a life force that continually renews the country — a source of energy, creativity, and renewal that keeps America young and dynamic. He warned that if the nation ever closed its doors to newcomers, it would risk losing its global leadership.
That vision stands in sharp contrast to rhetoric portraying immigrants as threats. When political discourse descends into dehumanizing claims, it reflects not strength but a retreat from the ideals that once defined American exceptionalism.
The Cost of Closing the Door
Immigrants have fueled the American experiment from its founding. They harvest food, build homes, staff hospitals and hotels, teach in universities, launch companies, serve in the armed forces, and push the boundaries of science and technology.
To restrict immigration indiscriminately is not merely a policy choice; it is a decision with economic, strategic, and moral consequences. America’s vitality has always come from its openness — from its willingness to welcome those seeking opportunity regardless of race, ethnicity, or faith.
History suggests that when the United States embraces newcomers, it renews itself. When it shuts them out, it risks diminishing the very engine of growth and innovation that made it a global leader.
If America hopes to remain a beacon of opportunity, it must remember what generations before understood: its greatness has never come from exclusion, but from inclusion.
