Legal Immigration Fails to Create Good Americans Due to Cultural Incompatibility

Source: Adam Johnston. "Arriving 'Legally' Doesn't Make Immigrants Good Americans." March 25, 2026. thefederalist.com

The Gist

The author argues that letting people immigrate legally doesn't make them good Americans because people from very different cultures can't really fit in. He thinks we should stop almost all immigration for decades so America can stay culturally unified, pointing to recent attacks by naturalized citizens as proof the system is broken.

Conclusion

America's legal immigration system has failed because it brings culturally incompatible people who cannot truly assimilate, and immigration should be effectively ended for decades to preserve American cultural cohesion

Premises

1. Recent terrorist attacks were committed by naturalized citizens or their children, proving legal immigration doesn't guarantee good Americans
2. The melting pot concept is a myth - people from incompatible cultures like Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Turkey, Senegal, and Lebanon cannot truly assimilate into American society
3. Post-1965 mass immigration has created a fractured landscape of competing interests rather than a unified populace
4. Foreign-born elected officials like Ilhan Omar openly prioritize their birth nations' interests over America's
5. Historical leaders like Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge understood that America must maintain cultural homogeneity to preserve its institutions
6. America's capacity to absorb newcomers is not infinite, and cultural diversity creates permanent friction rather than harmony

Assumptions

• There exists a definable, superior 'American culture' that should dominate over all others
• Cultural background determines loyalty and behavior more than individual choice or American civic education
• Assimilation requires complete abandonment of previous cultural identity
• Homogeneous societies are inherently more stable and cohesive than diverse ones
• The actions of a few individuals represent the failure of entire immigrant communities

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