Immigrants! Don't Support What You Fled | 5 Minute Video

Many of America's legal and illegal immigrants fled nations that were ruined by corrupt politicians and failed government policies. But once here, they support the same things. Why? Gloria Alvarez, Project Director at the National Civic Movement of Guatemala, explains. Donate today to PragerU

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Script:

I live in Guatemala and I work throughout Latin America. And I want to speak to the millions of fortunate Hispanic immigrants living in the United States – legally or not. I have a question for you: why do you support the same policies in the U.S. that caused you to flee your home country?

The policies I’m talking about are those that lead to a bigger and bigger central government. You know only too well that the more power the government has, the more corrupt it becomes. My home country, like most other nations in Central and South America, is very poor. Fifty-four percent of the population lives in poverty, and 13 percent lives in extreme poverty. Half of all children under five are chronically malnourished. Crippling government corruption is the norm. Opening a new business can take months, even years, because of a multitude of regulations that are designed to line the pockets of bureaucrats. So, the cost is much too high for the average citizen. Quite simply, unless you’re politically connected in Guatemala, you probably want to leave.

And in the last 20 years, many Guatemalans have left—or, to put it more honestly, they fled. The fortunate ones reach the United States, the freest and wealthiest nation in human history. There are at least 1 million Guatemalans living in the U.S.

Nearly every Mexican and Central and South American immigrant in the United States, whether they immigrated legally or illegally, moved or fled to the U.S. for the same reasons—economic opportunity and the freedom to shape their own lives.

In short, you came to the United States to participate in what Americans call the American Dream. But have you ever asked yourself: Why is the United States so free, so much less corrupt, and so much more affluent than any Latin American country?

The answer lies first and foremost in the unique American belief in limited government. Why? Because the smaller the government, the less the corruption. And the smaller the government, the more individual freedom and personal responsibility. And given those things, along with hard work and talent, you can accomplish your life’s goals.

So back to my question: Why would you support policies that keep expanding the power of the government when they are the very policies that doomed your home countries? Is it because you think that when Democrats offer you free stuff, it means they really care about you? Do you think that when Republicans talk about enforcing immigration laws, it means they are going to send you back?

Let’s be honest. You didn’t come here for free stuff. You came for the economic opportunity that allows you to work and earn.

And of course a nation has an obligation to enforce its borders. Certainly every country in Central and South America does; in fact, much more so than the U.S.

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