In the January 23, 2025 edition of The Jewish Link, there is a letter to the editor titled “I Am an Immigrant,” in which the author, Chuneh Avruhm Zynger of Passaic, bemoans the current administration’s policy on immigration, and urges a more tolerant approach. For the following reasons, however, this position is both wrongheaded and dangerous.
Initially, Mr. Zynger states that he too was an immigrant, having entered this country as a young child in the aftermath of World War II. He noted that many of his school classmates were immigrants like him, and that the “B” students became white collar professionals such as physicians, while students like him—apparently the “A” students—earned their Ph.D.s. But Mr. Zynger ignores that he and his parents entered this country legally. By contrast, the Biden administration allowed millions to enter this country illegally.
Moreover, Mr. Zynger equates all immigrants, as though the recent illegal immigrants have some resemblance to the Jewish immigrants of yesteryear, like him. But the millions of recent immigrants are totally unvetted. Mr. Zynger proudly refers to the hardworking, law-abiding intelligent Jewish immigrants who ultimately made significant contributions to this country. If only the recent immigrants were anything like these Jewish immigrants of the past! But they aren’t. Among the recent immigrants are MS-13 thugs, fentanyl traffickers, criminals and rapists.
Next, Mr. Zynger expresses regret that he does not know Spanish and therefore cannot communicate with his Spanish-speaking immigrant neighbors. Again, Mr. Zynger misses an essential point: He shouldn’t have to speak Spanish to them; they should be learning English! Years ago, I lived in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, inhabited by many German Jews whose families fled Hitler’s Germany. They considered it essential to learn English and become American. Parenthetically, they also considered it an embarrassment to accept any governmental handouts, such as welfare. They had too much pride to take entitlements from a country that allowed them to immigrate there.
By contrast, however, many of Mr. Zynger’s Spanish-speaking neighbors categorically refuse to learn English and eagerly accept government handouts without any feelings of guilt or shame. As an example, I happen to speak Spanish, and I once asked a Spanish-speaking lady whom we had hired to clean our house how long she had lived in the United States. To my astonishment, she replied that she had lived in the United States for over 20 years! Twenty years, and yet she still never learned English! Unlike the Jewish immigrants such as Mr. Zynger, many Spanish-speaking immigrants feel no compulsion to learn English as long as they can continue to speak with one another in Spanish.
Contrary to his conclusion, leadership that blocks immigration is neither short-sighted, hateful nor forgetful. American citizens need protection from these unvetted immigrants whose values and culture often clash with America’s core values. Their views are often antithetical to the very values that undergird what has made our country great. Mr. Zynger’s empathy for these immigrants is therefore misplaced. Instead, he should support the policies of the Trump administration, which is seeking to remedy the dangerous errors of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party.
