Thread by @DavidAFrench

A quick thread about immigrants and gratitude:

I know that Trump’s tweet was mostly telling natural-born American citizens to “go back” to the “places from whence they came,” a racist directive to his targets, but should immigrants have a special kind of gratitude? /1

I believe every American should be grateful for American liberty and opportunity. But the average immigrant citizen did more to earn their place than the average natural-born citizen. /2

They generally:

1) Exercise courage and grit to get here;
2) Learn a new language;
3) Stay out of trouble and build a new life;
4) Become productive members of the community;
5) Take a test most Americans would fail; and
6) Swear an oath of allegiance. /3

Here’s what I had to do to enjoy the blessings of American liberty:

1) Survive labor and delivery.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. /4

So who should be the most overwhelmed by gratitude? The person who had to do actual work in the real world to earn citizenship or the person who enjoys the fruits of the sacrifice of millions entirely by accident of birth? /5

My youngest daughter is an immigrant. She’s also fully completely and totally American. I want her to be grateful for the blessings of liberty, but I also want her to know that she can enjoy and exercise — without guilt! — that same liberty. And . . . /6

If any person, be they a Twitter troll, or a draft-dodging, lying, adulterous, sex predator of a president tells her anything to the contrary, then they’re far less American than she is. /End