Yes if only America had better immigrants we wouldn't have so much intolerance. I write for the Atlantic. https://twitter.com/Yascha_Mounk/status/1351731370972897285

This is a common trope, the idea that we can change the flow or characteristics of immigration to combat intolerance.

The problem is that American racists *are extremely ill-informed about immigration.*

Even if America restricted immigration to, like, genius vegetarians with PhDs, who would actually tell that to conservatives? Fox News?

Intolerance of immigrants is caused by the mere presence of racial others. It has nothing to do with actual statistics.

This isn't hard. Pundits have pointed out since 2016 that "Build The Wall" is dumb because the majority of undocumented immigrants don't come across the southern border. Does that matter? Fuck no because conservative media doesn't tell people how immigration works.

We just went through this with Brexit. For years UKIP said they "just" wanted a system of EU migrant registration and for flows to slow down. David Cameron went to the EU and got it for them. He proposed a deal that was *exactly* what they said they wanted.

UKIP rejected it and pushed for Brexit. Why? Because reactionary movements *aren't based in the reality of the problems they say they want to solve.* They will argue for the most politically acceptable version of an ethnostate then move the goalposts once you give it to them.