I always do a mental double-take when someone says, “Diversity is our strength.”  Perhaps it depends on context.  Our military, for instance, includes men and women of various races and religions, yet their training emphasizes conformity to ensure unity and effectiveness.  Historically, the most stable societies share customs, language, and cultural norms — at least enough to function cohesively.  Differences exist, of course, but when they become too extreme or numerous, friction often follows, sometimes escalating into civil unrest.  Tensions between Asians and African-Americans in certain U.S. jurisdictions illustrate this dynamic.

America once boasted of being a “melting pot,” where immigrants from around the world arrived and, over a few years or a generation or two, assimilated.  They embraced the promise of opportunity and adapted to the culture.  Recent global migration patterns, however, suggest a shift.  Many newcomers no longer seek to assimilate.  Instead of a melting pot, countries increasingly resemble salads — patchworks of distinct communities clinging to their own traditions and resisting integration.  Instead of E Pluribus Unum, (out of many, one) we can end up with E Pluribus, Infirmitas (out of many, weakness).

St. Thomas Aquinas addressed immigration in his seminal work, the Summa Theologica, offering timeless insights: 

• Man’s relations with foreigners may be peaceful or hostile. 
• Foreigners may be passers-through, short-term visitors, or permanent settlers. 
• Acceptance of the last hinges on their willingness to fully integrate into the nation’s culture and life. 
• Citizenship should not be granted immediately, as integration takes time — often two or three generations, as Aristotle also argued.

Aquinas warned, “If foreigners were allowed to meddle with the affairs of a nation as soon as they settled down in its midst, many dangers might occur, since the foreigners not yet having the common good firmly at heart might attempt something hurtful to the people.”  This caution feels prescient.  Citizens in Nordic countries, Western Europe, and the U.S. are grappling with crimes linked to illegal aliens: 

• Nordic countries report elevated crime rates among males of non-Western backgrounds.
• One in five Swiss women has experienced sexual violence. 
• Sweden, where 20% of the population is foreign-born, faces rising shootings and bombings, with immigrants as young as 11 recruited into gangs.   
• In Germany, the 2015–2016 influx of over 1 million migrants coincided with a 50% spike in reported rapes. 
• In England, Mohammad is the most popular name for newborn boys, while Albanians account for 12% of foreign national offenders in U.K. prisons.
• England’s rape gang scandals, like Rotherham’s exploitation of 1,400 children, defy belief.

Unassimilated foreigners often face socioeconomic challenges, settling into weak neighborhoods with high unemployment and limited education.  This “ghettoization” breeds conditions ripe for criminality.  Cities like Malmö, Sweden and Marseille, France have witnessed ethnic conflicts reflecting poor social cohesion — often tied to large, unsupported influxes of diverse migrants.  Integration becomes difficult, if not impossible, under such strain.

Sweden’s 2015 welcome of 160,000 refugees cost $6 billion by 2016 alone.  As former U.K. Labor deputy leader Roy Hattersley noted, “without integration, limitation is inexcusable; without limitation, integration is impossible.”  Notably, not all immigrant groups struggle equally — Iranians in Sweden, for example, tend to assimilate well, unlike some North African cohorts.

In the U.S., New York has received over 175,000 migrants since early 2022.  In January 2024, a group of illegal aliens assaulted NYPD officers in Times Square, while residents faced moped-based robberies linked to Venezuelan illegals.  Migrants now account for 75% of arrests in midtown Manhattan.

Denver and Chicago report similar trends — petty crimes like shoplifting and robbery have surged alongside illegal arrivals.  In Colorado, members of the Tren de Aragua gang even seized an apartment complex.

Yet official crime data from many Democrat-run cities shows a decline — possibly because many police departments have stopped reporting to the FBI.

Solutions to illegal immigration include: 

• Securing borders and detaining illegal entrants. 
• Enforcing existing immigration laws. 
• Encouraging self-deportation by denying work and public benefits. 
• Mandating E-Verify to block illegal employment. 
• Tracking visa overstays to ensure timely departure. 
• Deporting those ordered removed by immigration judges.

For (legal) immigrants, assimilation is the priority.  Language is the backbone — accessible classes, paired with local mentors, can accelerate fluency and build social ties.  Proficiency could be tied to job opportunities or civic benefits as an incentive.

Cultural orientation programs — workshops, community events, or digital tools — can demystify local customs, from public transit to social etiquette.

Employment support, like vocational training, job fairs, or credential recognition, reduces underemployment and frustration.

Communities should invite newcomers into activities — sports, volunteering, festivals — to foster connection.

Legal education on rights, responsibilities, laws, and services empowers confident participation.

Mental health resources and peer networks ease relocation’s emotional toll, while early intervention (language and jobs within the first year) drives long-term success.

Image: JSMed via Pixabay, Pixabay License.