Commentary: Africa is sending us its best and brightest

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

President Donald Trump decried Thursday that the U.S. was not taking in enough immigrants from Norway, and accepting too many arrivals from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa, combined with some flowery language I would prefer not to reproduce. There has been a vociferous emotional reaction, but I’d like to take a more sober tack and consider what the data actually tell us, focusing on Africa and Norway.

One of the most striking facts, unbeknownst even to many immigration advocates, is the superior education of Africans coming to this country. Of adults 25 years or older born in Africa and living in the U.S., 41.7 percent have a bachelor’s degree or more, according to 2009 data. For contrast, only 28.1 percent of the native-born American population has a bachelor’s degree or more, and 26.8 percent of foreign-born adults as a whole have a college degree, both well below the African rate.

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How about high school diplomas? About one-third of immigrants overall lack this credential but only 11.7 percent of African-born migrants don’t have a high school degree — close to the estimated rate for native-born Americans, 11.4 percent.

Or consider Nigerian-Americans, Nigeria being Africa’s most populous nation: Their education levels are among the very highest in the U.S., above those of Asians, with 17 percent having a master’s degree.

About three-quarters of African migrants speak English, and they have above-average rates of labor force participation. They are also much less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born Americans.

That implies we could accept more African immigrants with mutual benefit. Subjectively, I would also note that sub-Saharan Africa is the region where I encounter the least anti-American sentiment. That’s broadly consistent with these poll results.

As a resident of the Washington, D.C., area, I live alongside an especially high number and proportion of African immigrants. It is well known in this region that African immigration outcomes in terms of education, starting new businesses, safety and assimilation are quite positive.

“They’re not sending us their best people” is a claim I hear from Trump in his speeches and news conferences. Yet that’s the opposite of the truth when it comes to Africa.

How about Norwegians? During America’s earlier age of mass migration starting in the late 19th century, the U.S. received many Norwegians. They were especially likely to come from low-skilled backgrounds; they had problems assimilating; and about 70 percent returned to their home country. If we compare the 16 immigrant groups from that time for which we have data, the Norwegians and the Portuguese did the worst in terms of wage gaps.

To be clear, I think this experiment with Norwegian migration has more than worked out all right, as Norwegian-Americans now have above-average levels of income and have assimilated extremely well. But this is a cautionary tale, indicating that the groups one might think would succeed right away often face big struggles. Ole Edvart Rolvaag’s “Giants in the Earth,” the famous 1920s novel of Norwegian migration to the Dakotas in the 1870s, shows the enterprise was highly fraught and assimilation was a major issue. It is noteworthy that the novel was originally published in Norwegian, whereas the major Nigerian and Nigerian-American novels of today are typically written and first published in English.

It would be a mistake to look at these comparisons and conclude that somehow Africans are intrinsically superior to Norwegians. In fact, there is some pretty simple economic theory at work. The harder it is to get from one country to another, the more the immigration process selects for individuals who are especially ambitious and resourceful.

Economist Edward Lazear suggests a simple experiment: Consider immigrants to the U.S. from Algeria, Israel and Japan, and rank them in order of most to least educated. The correct answer? Algeria, Israel, then Japan. That may be counterintuitive at first glance, but it’s easy to see how it works. If you are Algerian and educated, or aspire to be educated, your prospects in Algeria are relatively poor. A talented, educated person in Japan or Israel can do just fine by staying at home. These kinds of considerations explain about 73 percent of the variation in the educational outcomes of migrants.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-africa-immigration-trump-norway-slur-0116-20180112-story.html

[-Trinity- 513]

I wanted to look up this data earlier, but too busy. I don't know about Haiti ( but I assume it's the same as the African countries) but I do know that African people usually strive to get atleast a bachelor, a master is preferred. Most African people are bi or multilingual,  a positive heritage of the colonization. So often you will find people speaking a native language, a dialect and either French or English or sometimes even both. Mathematics are huge in African countries, no matter whether you're a woman or a man. Most popular jobs are engineering for this reason, lawyer is also considered a respectable job. Unfortunately alot of young people earn a degree and end up without work, because they lack the connections. This people usually end up leaving the country if they can.

 

This is just from my personal experience, I didn't had time yet to look it up to see if it's based on facts.

Edited January 18, 2018 by -Trinity-

[eieio 1,594]

Why are they leaving?   The good news is all the illegals we are deporting will be going back to great countries. Lucky devils.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 hour ago, eieio said:

Why are they leaving?   The good news is all the illegals we are deporting will be going back to great countries. Lucky devils.

The subject is immigration using our  system which we constantly promote on this site. Why throw shade on people's efforts to come here the right way?

Edited January 18, 2018 by Il Mango Dulce

[-Trinity- 513]

7 hours ago, eieio said:

Why are they leaving?   The good news is all the illegals we are deporting will be going back to great countries. Lucky devils.

They are leaving for same reasons as most immigrants came to America.

 

You're missing a point here, this thread is about Africans. If you do a Google search you will find that most illegal immigrants are not from Africa.

 

[eieio 1,594]

12 minutes ago, -Trinity- said:

They are leaving for same reasons as most immigrants came to America.

 

You're missing a point here, this thread is about Africans. If you do a Google search you will find that most illegal immigrants are not from Africa.

 

Mostly to escape a ####hole and hopes for a better life.  I get it..

.they are smart....they know a ####hole when they live in one.  If the countries were so great....not many would be looking to get out of dodge.

 

There is a reason we don’t have a problem with immigration...both legal and illegal from Norway.  ie....not a ####hole.

[eieio 1,594]

6 hours ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

The subject is immigration using our  system which we constantly promote on this site. Why throw shade on people's efforts to come here the right way?

Haha...so just speaking the truth is “throwing shade”?

[-Trinity- 513]

11 minutes ago, eieio said:

 

There is a reason we don’t have a problem with immigration...both legal and illegal from Norway.  ie....not a ####hole.

Fortunately it's not how it works. If you don't follow the rules USCIS will catch up on you, sooner or later. Whether you're from Norway or Timbuktu.

 

Check your facts again, most illegal immigrants are not from Africa.

[eieio 1,594]

8 minutes ago, -Trinity- said:

Fortunately it's not how it works. If you don't follow the rules USCIS will catch up on you, sooner or later. Whether you're from Norway or Timbuktu.

 

Check your facts again, most illegal immigrants are not from Africa.

I never said they were...or even implied it. 

 

A merit based system is the way to go. 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 hour ago, eieio said:

Haha...so just speaking the truth is “throwing shade”?

Yes you referenced 'illegals we are  deporting"  the people in these cases are not illegals.

 

[Dashinka 24,504]

9 hours ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

The subject is immigration using our  system which we constantly promote on this site. Why throw shade on people's efforts to come here the right way?

I agree, most of the people that come here the right way are interested in integrating into the American culture, they are generally intelligent, and looking to succeed.  Not sure you can say the same thing about those doing things illegally.  Regardless, I am not surprised by these numbers.  The folks from poor or poorly run African countries can recognize the fact that they have better opportunities elsewhere, and they are willing to do things right.  Haiti and El Salvador are a bit different given their special TPS category, I think there are a couple of African countries that are still in the TPS category.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

About 10 years ago I posted this on VJ when the same stupid prejudice was going around, not from a president but from people posting nonsense. 
It is still true today,  African immigrants are successful and smart, driven by education, innovation and entrepreneurship.

They had to struggle to get an education compared to way too many American spoiled brats who don't apply themselves and prefer to look at their Iphones 
rather than a book and can't name most countries on a map and think Africa is a country.
I have seen Africans study for hours by candle light because that's the only light they had.
I see them here working their butts off, working circles around Americans and opening businesses, creating jobs for Americans and attaining master degrees. 
Education is a jewel to strive for in their lives and a school uniform is a cherished belonging even in elementary school.
Ask an African child what they wish for and they say going to school. Then they make it happen.
It just goes to show you how clueless and ignorant Trump is about people from other countries and how he feels superior to other races. 
African immigrants are a big asset to this country. 

 

http://www.atlnightspots.com/african-immigrants-have-the-highest-academic-achievement-in-the-us/


 

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

3 hours ago, Ebunoluwa said:

About 10 years ago I posted this on VJ when the same stupid prejudice was going around, not from a president but from people posting nonsense. 
It is still true today,  African immigrants are successful and smart, driven by education, innovation and entrepreneurship.

They had to struggle to get an education compared to way too many American spoiled brats who don't apply themselves and prefer to look at their Iphones 
rather than a book and can't name most countries on a map and think Africa is a country.
I have seen Africans study for hours by candle light because that's the only light they had.
I see them here working their butts off, working circles around Americans and opening businesses, creating jobs for Americans and attaining master degrees. 
Education is a jewel to strive for in their lives and a school uniform is a cherished belonging even in elementary school.
Ask an African child what they wish for and they say going to school. Then they make it happen.
It just goes to show you how clueless and ignorant Trump is about people from other countries and how he feels superior to other races. 
African immigrants are a big asset to this country. 

 

http://www.atlnightspots.com/african-immigrants-have-the-highest-academic-achievement-in-the-us/


 

While I agree with you that people from any country can be driven and become successful... are you sure it was 10 years ago?  

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

37 minutes ago, IDWAF said:

While I agree with you that people from any country can be driven and become successful... are you sure it was 10 years ago?  

Not sure but something like that. 

It was early in my first visa journey around 2005 under a different email account which I no longer use. I created a new account when I returned to VJ on a different visa journey. Been around for a long time. Not sure why you are focused on the exact year that I posted it. I posted it several times throughout the years when African bashing was going on in the regionals.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

12 minutes ago, Ebunoluwa said:

Not sure but something like that. 

It was early in my first visa journey around 2005 under a different email account which I no longer use. I created a new account when I returned to VJ on a different visa journey. Been around for a long time. Not sure why you are focused on the exact year that I posted it. I posted it several times throughout the years when African bashing was going on in the regionals.

Fair enough.  But no one here is bashing Africans, are they?