Isn't the United States an immigrant country? Why is it so resistant to immigrants now?

Humans struggle to shake off the fundamental flaw of wanting to “close the door after boarding.”

The United States is not only a nation built by immigrants, but also one that has prospered because of them—and one that cannot function without them.

Note that when I say “immigrants” here, I make no distinction between legal and illegal. In fact, I believe immigration should be considered a basic human right, not divided into legal and illegal categories—but I will not elaborate on this here.

Pragmatically speaking, even a staunch anti-immigration figure like Donald Trump, after becoming president, was forced to make exceptions for certain undocumented immigrant laborers for the sake of the economy, easing enforcement of the deportation measures he himself championed.

Rejecting immigrants is thus more like the impotent rage of some Americans over their declining economic and social status—they dare not express their dissatisfaction with the big capital that is truly responsible for their problems, instead taking their anger out on immigrants with even lower social standing.

To put it plainly: it is like a driver demanding passengers squeeze tighter to make more space for themselves, while passengers, unwilling to be cramped, try to kick others off the bus—or at the very least, prevent anyone else from boarding.