MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle recently caused a stir among conservatives for peddling illegal immigration as a necessary addition to our economy. Previously beknighted as the prophetess of economic recovery, Ruhle took it upon herself to sanitize illegal immigration, seemingly ignoring the damage it inflicts on our national security and the rule of law.
On her 11th Hour show, she cynically dismissed the immigration crisis at the border and its core concerns, stating “We do not have open borders,” then presented data from the Congressional Budget Office suggesting increased immigration will lead to economic growth and reduced federal deficits over the next decade. To the informed viewer, the typical inner party squabble over whether to prioritize national security or pocketbooks was again being waged.
Ruhle called upon Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, probing Soto’s opinion on the Biden Administration harnessing this data to push immigration. Soto’s agreement was unsurprising as she inferred that reports have repeatedly reached similar conclusions that without immigration the economy would’ve cooled off further.
The conversation turned to the declining fertility rate in the U.S, with Soto dramatically stating that the country isn’t replacing itself. Without sufficient context or regard for the varying factors contributing to this decline, Soto quickly propelled the bogus narrative that we should eagerly embrace those entering the country illegally. According to Soto’s logic, these newcomers can single-handedly solve our disparate economic and demographic challenges.
Ruhle then engaged Tim Miller, former communications director to Jeb Bush, by asking his view on Democrats changing the narrative on illegal immigration. Miller, a self-professed ex-Republican, suggested that Democrats need to debunk the Republican’s straight forward, law-abiding stance on immigration, subtly implying that simplicity is a weakness.
Miller leaned into the Democrat party line suggesting that Biden has the golden mean of “reasonable restrictions” but also “decent” treatment of those who break the law, including the controversial stance of expanding legal immigration rules at the border to benefit the economy.
Much like Ruhle, who previously brushed aside the stinging inflation by stating “the economy is great,” Miller seems incredulous as to the disappearance of Republicans who believe illegal immigrants are integral to the country’s growth. Ruhle’s agreement highlights an almost willful blindness to the adverse effects of illegal immigration.
In conclusion, Stephanie Ruhle and her panelists’ sentiments clearly echo the familiar trope of the left, framing the illegal immigration crisis as an economic band-aid rather than recognizing it as a clear breach of the rule of law. It seems that for some, protecting the American dream for Americans isn’t a priority; instead, we’re encouraged to blindly prop up an economy on a shaky foundation of illegal immigration.
