Jim Crawford: Again, we must ask, ‘Who are we?’
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Crawford’s column leans on a familiar moral framing: if you question progressive immigration policy, you must lack compassion. That’s a convenient shortcut. It turns hard tradeoffs into a character test and treats border enforcement as cruelty rather than governance.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The list of Donald Trump’s examples of insensitivity, lack of compassion and outright cruelty to other Americans and other humans knows no bounds. Whether it is abusing and imprisoning illegals [...]
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Crawford’s column leans on a familiar moral framing: if you question progressive immigration policy, you must lack compassion. That’s a convenient shortcut. It turns hard tradeoffs into a character test and treats border enforcement as cruelty rather than governance.
What gets missed is that a nation is also defined by lawful entry, not just good intentions. When millions cross illegally, the costs land on working class towns, strained schools, overwhelmed hospitals, and a frayed sense of order. Calling that concern “insensitivity” sidesteps the real issue: public trust collapses when leaders won’t enforce their own rules.
A serious immigration system balances mercy with rule of law and national sovereignty. If “Who are we?” is the question, the answer starts with a country confident enough to decide, fairly and consistently, who comes in and why.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.