Profoundly inspirational immigration quotes will encourage you to think a little deeper than you usually would and broaden your perspective.
Famous Immigration Quotes
The immigration issue is, I recognize, one that generates a lot of passion, but it does not make sense for us to want to push talent out. Barack Obama
Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger we were strangers once, too. My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.
Before ICE, we had Immigration and Naturalization Services, but it wasn’t until about 1999 that we chose to criminalize immigration at all. And then, once ICE was established, we really kind of militarized that enforcement to a degree that was previously unseen in the United States. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez
We will build on our progress at the border with additional resources for our law enforcement personnel
Our immigration policy should be based in compassion and a desire to help the other. Ilhan Omar
We will make it easier and faster for high skilled immigrants, graduates, and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy, as so many business leaders have proposed.
But I can tell you another engine for growth and job creation would be comprehensive immigration reform. Hillary Clinton
We will take steps to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country.
We need comprehensive immigration reform. Dr. King wouldn’t be pleased at all to know that there are millions of people living in the shadow, living in fear in places like Georgia and Alabama. John Lewis
I continue to believe that the best way to solve this problem is by working together to pass that kind of common sense law.
I don’t see how the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century. Newt Gingrich
What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance to make our lives what we will.
I’m for immigration reform. I think the system’s horribly broken, and we need to do something about it. Rand Paul
One of the reasons why Canadians are generally positively inclined towards immigration is we’ve seen over decades, over generations, that it works. Justin Trudeau
America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts. Woodrow Wilson
We can affirm our values as a country and have immigration systems that support our economy, that grow our country, and that make sure that we stay secure and strong. Cory Booker
We came to America, either ourselves or in the persons of our ancestors, to better the ideals of men, to make them see finer things than they had seen before, to get rid of the things that divide and to make sure of the things that unite. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, period. Kamala Booker
Remember, remember always, that all of us, you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists. John F. Kennedy
There is overwhelming bipartisan support outside of Washington that we need to finally secure our borders, enforce our laws, and stop the problem of illegal immigration. Ted Cruz
I received a letter just before I left office from a man. I don’t know why he chose to write it, but I’m glad he did. He wrote that you can go to live in France, but you can’t become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Italy, but you can’t become a German, an Italian. He went through Turkey, Greece, Japan and other countries. But he said anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to live in the United States and become an American. George H W Bush
I am very supportive of Donald Trump’s call to temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorists influence and impact represents a threat to the United States. Mike Pence
More than any other nation on Earth, America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from wave after wave of immigrants. In each generation, they have proved to be the most restless, the most adventurous, the most innovative, the most industrious of people. Bearing different memories, honoring different heritages, they have strengthened our economy, enriched our culture, renewed our promise of freedom and opportunity for all. George W. Bush
Immigration has a huge cost on social programs, and it lowers salaries and drives up unemployment. Marine Le Pen
It says something about our country that people around the world are willing to leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come to America. Their talent and hard work and love of freedom have helped make America the leader of the world. And our generation will ensure that America remains a beacon of liberty and the most hope fill society this world has ever known. Barack Obama
I believe the House of Representatives is exactly the place where immigration reform should take place. Our entire House is elected every two years. We’re the people closest to the people. Aaron Schock
You are never going to have, in a country as rich as ours the USA that borders a country as poor as Mexico, an end to immigration. You just won’t. The question is, if you make it humane and if you make it regulated. It’s much better for an American worker to compete against a regulated immigrant inside labor standards, than it is to ever to compete against an illegal immigrant. Ezra Klein
People who think that the immigration system is easy and people should just apply legally it just isn’t that easy. Pramila Jayapal
All necessary measures shall be taken to encourage and stimulate immigration of Jews into Palestine on a large scale. Faisal I of Iraq
Comprehensive immigration reform should be debated and passed by Congress. Amy Klobuchar
What we see today is an American economy that has boomed because of policies and developments of the 1950s and ’60s: the interstate highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public education system that was the envy of the world and generous immigration policies. Fareed Zakaria
I’ve never met a Democrat in Congress who wants open borders or who doesn’t believe in enforcing immigration laws. Chris Murphy
The United States needs serious change in its fiscal, entitlement, infrastructure, immigration, and education policies, among others. And yet a polarized and often paralyzed Washington has pushed dealing with these problems off into the future, which will only make them more difficult and expensive to solve. Fareed Zakaria
We need legal immigration as an alternative to illegal immigration and a way of getting the millions of unauthorized immigrants already here to get legal and get in compliance with our laws. Luis Gutierrez
Illegal immigration can never be completely stopped, no matter how high the wall or how many patrol agents you have watching it. Gail Collins
The Dream Act will be a nightmare for the American people. No doubt, we need immigration reform, but the Dream Act is written far too broadly, and it will only encourage more illegal immigration, promote chain migration, and will be a magnet for fraud. Mike Coffman
The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become… We have to address the population issue. The United Nations, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population. It can be done. But in this country, it’s phony to say ‘I’m for the environment but not for limiting immigration. Gaylord Nelson
It is so clear that the conservatives in Congress will only settle for a bill that allows the unequal treatment of immigrants, allow them to be shoved around the system with no way to plead their case for relief. Rashida Talib
I’m for the environment but not for limiting immigration. Gaylord Nelson
America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts. James Madison
What immigration really does is redistribute wealth away from workers toward employers. George J. Borjas
There should not be a question of legal or illegal immigration. People came and immigrated to this country from the time of the Indians. No one’s illegal. They should just be able to come. Linda Ronstadt
The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges. George Washington
If you want to stop illegal immigration, you have to make it so that so that the people that hire the illegal immigrants will not be in a position to hire them. Jesse Ventura
I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong George Washington
We must fix our broken immigration system. That means stopping illegal immigration. And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion. Just like we have for centuries. Nikki Haley
Let me in, immigration man, can I cross the line and pray, I can stay another day? Won’t you let me in, immigration man? I won’t toe your line today, I can’t see it anyway. Graham Nash
While not a panacea for the nation’s illegal immigration problems, employer sanctions are one necessary means of stopping the exploitation of vulnerable workers and the undercutting of American jobs and living standards. Coretta Scott King
It is said that the quality of recent immigration is undesirable. The time is quite within recent memory when the same thing was said of immigrants who, with their descendants, are now numbered among our best citizens. Grover Cleveland
Illegal immigration costs taxpayers $45 billion a year in health care, education, and incarceration expenses. Ric Keller
The future of the Republican Party, all the different folks looking to lead the Republican Party at the national level in the future, recognize we should do immigration reform. Grover Norquist
We all learned in kindergarten that the beginning is a very good place to start. As we have this debate on illegal immigration and illegal entry into this country, let’s begin at the very beginning by sealing the borders to this great Nation. Marsha Blackburn
On immigration, there are a lot of hurdles before anything arrives at the White House. Gwen Ifill
Illegal immigration can never be completely stopped, no matter how high the wall or how many patrol agents you have watching it. Gail Collins
America deserves common sense immigration reform that reflects our interests and our values as Americans. Hank Johnson
When dealing with illegal immigration, the answer is simple; enforce Constitutional mandates, and you will protect Floridians and the American people. Allen West
Enforcement alone does not work. Unless we address the gap between our immigration laws and reality, illegal immigration will not stop and the situation on the border will continue to be chaotic. Harry Reid
Illegal immigration is crisis for our country. It is an open door for drugs, criminals, and potential terrorists to enter our country. It is straining our economy, adding costs to our judicial, healthcare, and education systems. Timothy Murphy
The discrepancy between American ideals and American practice between our aims and what we actually do creates a moral dry rot which eats away at the foundations of our democratic faith. Helen Gahagan Douglas
Anyone who sincerely wanted to use policy to reduce illegal immigration should start by crafting legislation based on changing actual behavior. Jose Ferreira
Therefore, if we are a Nation of laws and a Nation of immigrants, immigration should occur within a legal framework, not through the machinations of illegal schemes and scams that threaten our national security. J. D. Hayworth
One of the things I think a lot about, I am perhaps a great example of the enlightened immigration policy of this country where I was able to come here to study and then stay back and work and build a life. Satya Nadella
We are going to make sure that America is open to legal immigration because that is wealth and the talent and the entrepreneurial skills for the 21st Century. Jack Kemp
I’ve been going through immigration all my life, and I’ve been stopped for traffic violations by cops, and they get much more curious about me than the regular guy. The moment they hear my accent, things get a little deeper. Guillermo del Toro
Workers who come to the U.S. see their wages and their standard of living boosted sharply simply by crossing the border. That’s a good thing, and one of the best arguments for immigration reform, even if you’ll rarely hear a politician make it. James Surowiecki
As an immigrant, I chose to live in America because it is one of the freest and most vibrant nations in the world. And as an immigrant, I feel an obligation to speak up for immigration policies that will keep America the most economically robust, creative and freedom loving nation in the world. Rupert Murdoch
It is fair to say there are individuals in the United States who ascribe to al Qaeda type beliefs. Janet Napolitano
I always get stopped by security and immigration, telling me, ‘Tell me who the terrorist is, or we won’t stamp your passport!’ The last time that somebody did that to me at LAX, actually I was like, ‘Hey, don’t ever ask a brown girl that in an American airport!’ Priyanka Chopra
I don’t think that the economy can absorb a massive flow of immigration that does not relate to the issue of persecution. Janet Reno
For immigrant women, the very act of immigration is about opportunity, equality, and freedom. Women immigrants come to America to care for their families, escape gender based violence, or express their sexual identity. Pramila Jayapal
Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow. Then all the people shall say, “Amen!
I think being an immigrant makes me overly optimistic. Ilhan Omar
The same law applies both to the native born and to the foreigner residing among you.
As you know, I’m an immigrant. I came over here as an immigrant, and what gave me the opportunities, what made me to be here today, is the open arms of Americans. I have been received. I have been adopted by America. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
As an immigrant, I appreciate, far more than the average American, the liberties we have in this country. Silence is a big enemy of morality. I don’t want our blunders in history to get repeated. Gloria Estefan
In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.
One of the biggest things immigrant kids oftentimes feel is this big disparity between our parents and us. And our parents are staunch pragmatists, and I consider myself to be an optimist. Hasan Minhaj
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
I’m the daughter of refugees. The immigrant mentality is to work hard, be brave, and never give up in your pursuit of achieving the American dream. Reshma Saujani
He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.
I’m an immigrant and I will stay an immigrant forever. Junot Diaz
And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do. Celeste Ng
Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.
Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens. Thomas Sowell
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
Where we are as a nation is due to having an openness to the people of the world. It’s incredibly important. I firmly believe that we cannot shut our borders to immigrants. I think a fair and just immigration policy is good for our country and good for our society. Bob Iger
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
It is actually costlier to hire an immigrant. And yet the farmworker is almost invariably an immigrant. You can’t pay an American to pick blueberries. Trey Gowdy
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The U.S. immigration laws are bad really, really bad. I’d say treatment of immigrants is one of the greatest injustices done in our government’s name. Bill Gates
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.
The most powerful nation on earth should be able to pass a fair, effective immigration law that combines compassion with responsibility and does not injure hard working Americans who are taxed up to here. Bill O’Reilly
If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.
