Victor Davis Hanson didn’t mince words on Tuesday’s American Agenda when he warned that many of today’s immigrants show little appreciation for the values that built this country, and he urged a reduction in legal immigration numbers until assimilation is once again the norm. Americans who work hard and play by the rules deserve a system that rewards loyalty to our laws and traditions, not one that dilutes them. It’s time for leaders to listen to plain talk about assimilation and the rule of law instead of burying their heads in virtue-signaling.
For years conservatives have sounded the alarm about open borders and mass arrivals; Hanson’s comments are straightforward common sense dressed in historical perspective. When you have porous borders and tens or hundreds of thousands of new arrivals every month, it’s not unreasonable to worry about whether newcomers will adopt American civic norms. This isn’t xenophobia — it’s patriotism and prudence, demanding immigration policy that strengthens the nation rather than strains it.
Hanson’s prescription is exactly what responsible conservatives have been calling for: legal immigration, yes, but reduced to sustainable numbers and tied to merit, language, and civic commitment. We celebrate immigrants who assimilate, serve, and lift up their communities; we should not subsidize mass turnover that leaves taxpayers holding the bill for social breakdown. True conservatism defends the American bargain — newcomers are welcomed, but they must become Americans first, not last.
The open-borders crowd and the legacy media keep pretending there is no cost to uncontrolled migration, or that assimilation will magically happen without incentives or standards. Hanson’s appearance on a mainstream conservative program to say what most Americans already know exposes that disconnect — elites celebrate diversity as a slogan while ordinary citizens pay the price. We owe it to our kids to insist on common civic education, respect for the flag, and shared allegiance, not an experiment in multicultural drift.
Policy change is simple and urgent: secure the border, enforce existing laws, rein in legal admissions to levels the country can assimilate, and prioritize skills and civic commitment. Those are conservative, practical steps that protect wages, public safety, and national cohesion while still allowing America to be a beacon for those who will honor its traditions. If Washington refuses to act, the voters will — and rightly so.
This debate is not an academic exercise; it’s about whether America remains a nation with a shared history and purpose or becomes a technocratic patchwork where loyalties are diffuse and obligations evaporate. Victor Davis Hanson reminded viewers that a country that forgets its story will not long keep its freedoms. Conservatives must turn that warning into policy and politics, defending the nation for future generations.
Patriots across the country should take Hanson’s message to heart and demand leaders who will put America first — secure borders, selective legal immigration, and a return to assimilationary patriotism. Workaday Americans know the cost of chaos, and it’s past time Washington started listening to them instead of lecturing them.
