Brooks’ Appeal to “Social Conservatives”

David Brooks comes out swinging in favor of immigration today.  This is not an economic take on the issue.  Rather, it is an appeal to social conservatives.  Brooks wants to let them know that  Latinos are on their side.  A link to his NYTimes op-ed is  here.

Brooks views Latino immigrants as deeply religious and family-friendly: “the antidote to the excessive individualism that social conservatives decry.”  He notes that as immigration rates have soared, violent crimes have fallen, as have teen pregnancies and abortion rates.  He observes that Latino immigrants generally integrate successfully into the American economy and society.  He concludes:

Social conservatives, let me ask you to consider one final thing. Women who have recently arrived from Mexico have bigger, healthier babies than more affluent non-Hispanic white natives. That’s because strong family and social networks support these pregnant women, reminding them what to eat and do. But the longer they stay, and the more assimilated they become, the more bad habits they acquire and the more problems their subsequent babies have.

Please ask yourself this: As we contemplate America’s moral fiber, do the real threats come from immigrants, or are some people merely blaming them for sins that are already here?

While the editorial raises some interesting issues, I’m betting that, by and large, social conservatives are not going to rush right out to jump on the bandwagon.

-jmc