Immigration Facts do not Matter to Trump Supporters

When it comes to immigration, like many other issues, to a Trump supporter facts do not matter.  You can point out the lower crime rates for immigrants compared to native born, or the economic contributions and taxes paid that they receive no benefits in return for, but they will not alter their stance.  Their minds are frozen with fear of the caravans filled with murderers and rapists racing towards our vulnerable and righteous country.

People who live in a world where opinions cannot be altered by evidence are some of the most politically engaged.  They follow their candidate or issue with the same zeal they show for their chosen sports team, experiencing the same kind of highs and lows at the success or failure at the ballot box.  They do not process the facts on immigration to increase their understanding of the issue.  They just listen for key phrases that they have scripted rebuttals  to.

They also demonstrate a lack of empathy towards the kind of suffering many seeking asylum have experienced.  This is mostly because of having a privileged life of never being brutalized by those in power around you.  They avoid seeing things from the perspective of the immigrant and only look at the ways they might be inconvenienced.

There is also a tendency for people who fight against immigration to compartmentalize various peoples to certain areas.  They do not begrudge the existence of people different than themselves, they just do not want them living in the same area.  They experience physical discomfort at the proximity of someone who looks and speaks differently than they do.  This reaction is ingrained at a young age usually from parents or other mentors, and is perpetuated by isolating their close interactions to others just like themselves.

The issue of immigration, both legal and illegal, is something the United States needs to find answers for, but there is a sizable chunk of our population that will not abide any compromise.  As time goes by and fewer people are living in environments insulated from people from other lands, there should be less objections to a more open immigration policy.   Until then we need to be as vocal as the reason challenged opposition.