In 2021, 75 percent of survey respondents stated they think immigration is a good thing for the United States. A further 21 percent of respondents said that they felt immigration was a bad thing for the country. This is an increase from the previous year. This is according to Statista.com.
This shows that immigration reform has a positive impact on the country and should be encouraged.
This article has a compilation of the top 20 famous immigration quotes that can inspire anyone.
Note, these inspirational immigration quotes are written by presidents, activists, historical figures, and faith leaders to uplift all those who stand for American values of welcome and compassion.
Carefully go through them!
Top 20 Immigration Quotes
Here are the top immigration quotes:
#1. “Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.”
Senator Robert F. Kennedy
This is one of the top immigration quotes by Kennedy that posits the fact that race or place of birth matters not in taking opportunities. And also, as an American, how you treat immigrants shows the level of value and trust you place in your country.
#2. “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.”
– President Woodrow Wilson
This is another immigration quote that resonates well with me. President Wilson posits that the core reason for every American’s existence is to make the life of others better, whether they are white or black.
#3. “What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth, but allegiance to our founding principles and faith because anyone — from anywhere — can write the next chapter of our story.”
–President Barack Obama
The formal president of America, President Barack Obama posits that what defines every American citizenship is his alliance with the principles governing the country.
#4. “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
Reshma Saujani is an American lawyer, politician, and civil servant. She founded the nonprofit organization, Girls Who Code. This is one of the common immigration quotes she is known for. Here she emphasized that an immigrant pursuit show is towards achieving the American dream and goal.
#5. “As each new wave of immigration has reached America, it has faced problems… Somehow, the difficult adjustments are made and people get down to the tasks of earning a living, raising a family, living with their neighbors, and, building a nation.”
-President John F. Kennedy
#6. “Yes, we become stronger when men and women, young and old, gay and straight, native-born and immigrant, fight together to create the kind of country we all know we can become.”
– Senator Bernie Sanders
Among the common Bernie Sanders immigration quotes, this resonates well with me, Here, he asserts that a great country is achieved when everyone, including immigrants, works together.
#7. “Nikola Tesla was an immigrant. So were Joseph Pulitzer and Albert Einstein and Igor Stravinsky. Rational, compassionate immigration reform is needed so that the next Teslas and Einsteins are not denied access to educational or entrepreneurial opportunities in the United States. The time has come.”
– John Green
This is one of the famous immigration quotes BY John Green that posits that great men can be made from anywhere. To continue to achieve that, immigration reform is important.
#8. “Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us — except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.”
-Khaled Hosseini
This is among the American immigration quotes that interest me a lot. Everyone has ambitions and visions. Therefore, should have equal opportunity.
#9. “Refugees are not terrorists. They are often the first victims of terrorism.”
– António Guterres
This is one of the short immigration quotes by Antonio Guterres. Immigrants always fall victim to the terrorist attacks.
#10. “This is what keeps me going: that you can go from a sub-basement apartment in a 1960’s Brooklyn ghetto to working for the President of the United States in one generation.”
-Adolfo Carrion, Jr
This famous immigration quote addresses the fact that any immigrant can become anything and can work anywhere.
Other Famous Immigration Quotes
Other famous immigration quotes include:
#11. “No matter who you are or what you look like, how you started off, or how and who you love, America is a place where you can write your own destiny.”
-President Barack Obama
This is one of best Obama’s positive immigration quotes. America gives room for everyone to become or build anything once it’s legally right. So, as an immigrant, you can take your own destiny into your own hand.
#12. “If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”
-President Ronald Reagan
This is one of the best Ronald Reagan immigration quotes portraying that for America to still be a world leader, rooms and opportunities must be given to the new Americans to rule.
#13. “Our nation is the enduring dream of every immigrant who ever set foot on these shores, and the millions still struggling to be free… this idea called America, was and always will be a new world.”
– President George H.W. Bush
President George H.W. Bush posits the fact that America makes the dream of every immigrant come through. The country give freedom to those in bondage.
#14. “We are a country where people of all backgrounds, all nations of origin, all languages, all religions, all races, can make a home. America was built by immigrants.”
– Secretary Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton is an American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker who served as the first lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. In this quote, she accepts the fact that America is made of people with different beliefs and races.
#15. “The greatest nations are defined by how they treat their weakest inhabitants.”
-Jorge Ramos
This is one of the top short immigration quotes by Jorge Ramos. A country’s greatness is not in its achievement, rather it’s in how they treat their weak inhabitants.
#16. “Citizenship to me is more than a piece of paper. Citizenship is also about character. I am an American. We’re just waiting for our country to recognize it.”
-Jose Antonio Vargas
Your character and attitude define your citizenship towards your country and its inhabitants.
#17. “I’ve always argued that this country has benefited immensely from the fact that we draw people from all over the world.”
-Chairman Alan Greenspan
#18. “Remember, remember always, that all of us, you and I especially, are from immigrants and revolutionists.”
– President Franklin D. Roosevelt
#19. “Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.”
– President John F. Kennedy
#20. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
–Emma Lazarus
Conclusion
With any of these immigration quotes, you can get an uplift and inspiration to become a better version of yourself where ever you are whether as a white or black.
Reference
- Citizenpath.com- Immigration Quotes by Great Americans
- Brainyquote.com –Immigration Quotes