“Why is immigration seen as a right wing agenda in western countries?

Immigration is often seen as a right-wing agenda in Western countries due to the way political parties and ideologies have framed the issue. Here are some key reasons:

1. **National Identity and Culture**: Right-wing parties often emphasize the preservation of national identity, cultural heritage, and traditional values. They argue that large-scale immigration can dilute national culture and disrupt social cohesion, leading to resistance against liberal immigration policies.

2. **Economic Concerns**: Right-wing groups frequently highlight the economic impact of immigration, such as competition for jobs, strain on public services, and welfare costs. They advocate for stricter immigration controls to protect domestic workers and taxpayers.

3. **Security and Sovereignty**: Immigration is often linked to concerns about national security and border control. Right-wing parties tend to prioritize strict border enforcement and vetting processes to prevent illegal immigration, crime, and terrorism, framing these as essential to national sovereignty.

4. **Political Polarization**: In many Western countries, immigration has become a polarizing issue. Left-wing parties often advocate for more inclusive and humanitarian immigration policies, while right-wing parties position themselves as the defenders of stricter controls. This dichotomy reinforces the perception of immigration as a right-wing concern.

5. **Populist Rhetoric**: Populist right-wing leaders often use immigration as a rallying point to appeal to voters who feel marginalized or threatened by globalization and demographic changes. They frame immigration as a threat to the “ordinary citizen” and position themselves as protectors of the nation.

6. **Historical Context**: In some countries, right-wing parties have historically been associated with nationalist and anti-immigration stances, which continue to shape their identity and policies.

However, it’s important to note that not all right-wing parties or individuals oppose immigration uniformly, and perspectives on immigration can vary widely within and across political spectrums. Additionally, the framing of immigration as a right-wing issue is not universal and can differ based on regional and cultural contexts.”

So I asked an AI chatbot (Deepseek) above. What I wanted to talk about though and what I went on about a few posts ago was personal experience. In high school I was immersed in all of these cultures, like I spent time with Indonesians, Czech, former Yugoslavs, Romanians, Fijian Indian, Māori (I spent the first twelve years of my life with Māoris) and what I loved was the food and general camaraderie.

My best friend who is Romanian came to Australia when he was seven and to be honest he kind of regrets it. The initial racism and taunting he dealt with in the 80s made his mother move out of Parramatta and to the eastern suburbs where the Greeks, Italians and other immigrants had settled more comfortably. Also now I work with immigrants, they are young and educated and a Filipino girl in particular at work is a fun coworker.

In some ways though it can be awkward having immigrant friends because they have such a different experience to me. One friend in particular is quite radical and his points are very sharp. He will ask why do Boomer white males in his line of work get away with not paying tax? These white males normally own multiple properties and are only in his industry to avoid tax because they can. 

You couldn’t say that they are the only ones avoiding tax but nobody questions their businesses or practices in any shape or form. At the same time my Romanian friend gets hammered with tax bills so it can be seen as naive to do the right thing and declare taxable income. So I am speaking from my own experience. I don’t live in an area that is now considered to have a large immigrant population but my upbringing was in a different time.

When the Russians came a while back to Randwick they mostly moved out of my area due to high rents, the Africans came and went as well pretty fast. The city is mostly Asian and I love Asian culture and food so I am happy to see it. Some people find it too much, yet most of Sydney’s skyline has been financed by Asian money. The number one contributors are China and Hong Kong companies. Singaporean investors, Japanese and lastly US and Arab companies.

I suppose the main reason we have this Asian influx is that they have the money to invest and are willing to invest in Sydney. The best thing about being in Sydney for me is that Asia is quite close, I like travelling there and this is just my interest. I would love to spend three months in China a year as a retirement plan. It would be good to stay in the mountains of Chengdu as it is quite temperate. Staying in a temple to study Qigong and Taoist culture.