Originally posted by Surtur
The key difference is I don't think the Irish were coming here illegally nor do I think one party in the country was advocating for illegal immigrants like we have today.But then this is a country where calling MS-13 gang members animals is seen as controversial lol. Logic left the building and put a bullet in its brain.
If you aren't aware of the stuff the gang does: fun little things like stabbing someone 100 times, decapitating them, and tearing out the heart.
They weren't illegal because, iirc, immigration legislation simply didn't exist back then, and was actually brought in, in places like NY and Mass because of the Irish (not to mention the Germans and Italians).
I have to admit, I know nothing about this gang, but that sounds awful.
Originally posted by cdtm
There may have been vastly different immigration laws, too.I'd imagine it was a damned sight easier for an Irish family to get authorization to come over here then for a current generation immigrant family.
See above.
Originally posted by cdtm
It all comes down to assimilation and social mobility.The Irish Americans became a pillar of America society the same way everyone else did it: Purchasing power and the vote.
That basically just means enough become successful, which many Irish certainly have.
Of course, many have not, but for some reason an entire group is defined by its most successful members.
Right, but that took years. They went from being hated, being treated as a lower class (if not species), to what they are today. That took a long time.
I don't actually believe in blanket immigration laws. I believe in fair, reasonable laws, sure, but I can see why people draw the parallels between the Irish and the people of today.