In Pennsylvania, President Trump has made claims about towns being overwhelmed by job-stealing immigrants. However, the state’s unemployment rate is 3.4 percent, making it unclear how this represents a “war on workers.” Economist Paul Krugman explains that immigrants often actually boost employment for native-born individuals in these communities because they spend money there. Additionally, when asked about an increase in crime in Charleroi, a town mentioned by Trump, officials bluntly replied that there has been no such uptick.
While the facts may not fully address Trump’s emotionally charged narrative, it is important to examine his deeper claim. He suggests that the influx of immigrants has fundamentally changed these towns beyond recognition. To illustrate this point, a full monologue from one of Trump’s rallies is worth considering:
“Think of the cruelty Kamala Harris has inflicted on the people of Pennsylvania. You live in a small town your whole life. You pay your taxes. You really are exemplary… And suddenly she flies in thousands and thousands of migrants from the most dangerous places on earth. And they deposit them right smack in the middle of your community.”
At its core, Trump’s claim implies that Haitian immigrants are stealing people’s identity—the aspects rooted in place, shared local memory and custom, and blood and soil.
It is essential to analyze these claims objectively and consider all available information before drawing conclusions about immigration’s impact on communities like those mentioned by President Trump.
