Reverse Migration: Members of some minority and immigrant communities that face discrimination and isolation as a result the native ratio anxiety, might select to return to their countries of origin. This option becomes more viable if their country of origin experiences a significant increase in standard of leaving. Faced with ongoing and continuous ethnic hostility in Germany, tens of thousands of people from the Turkish community returned to Turkey in 2000s. This reverse migration was partly motivated by the strong economy and availability of many business opportunities in that country in the first decade of the 21st century. As China and India becomes more prosperous and better developed we might witness a similar reverse migration among Asian Americans.
Setback for Liberal Policies: The ratio anxiety among white Americans has had a profound indirect impact on all types of public policy. The election of President Trump was partly a result of this anxiety about over-immigration. Many of the whites that voted for Trump were concerned about the browning of America (a decline in the population share of whites as a result of rapid immigration of non-whites into America). President Trump has slowed down or suspended several environmental policies that would have boon good for preventing global change. Reduction of restrictions on coal industry is a good example. He has also reversed many other progressive achievements of the Obama administration. The setback in healthcare reform under Trump administration is very unfortunate. Had it not been for white concern about over-immigration, he might not had been elected.
As the progressive politicians and advocacy groups fight to end discrimination against immigrants they should not encourage more immigration. Instead they should call for a significant reduction in legal immigration and effective prevention of illegal immigration, in order to prevent further demographic shift in the United States. Ending over-immigration and addressing native anxiety will help reduce prejudice, racism and social rejection toward immigrants. The young white men will then have less incentive to join right wing extremist movements that chant "you will not replace us".
3) The U.S. 2020 Presidential Elections and the Ratio Anxiety
In recent years the Democratic Party in the United States has emerged as a party of minorities while a larger share of whites have gravitated toward the Republican party. We are also witnessing a divergence between the immigration policies of democrats and republicans. As Sahil Cooper and Peter Coy have shown in their 2018 article this immigration divide is a new development, which reflects the growing opposition to immigration among the supporters of the republican party.
In their 2017 book, Marisa Abrajano, Zoltan Hajnal offer detailed statistics on how the ethnic and racial identity of the supporters of Republican and Democratic parties has changed in recent decades and how the immigration debate has played out in domestic politics. After the victory of Donald Trump in 2016 presidential elections the Republican party, and President Trump, have adopted an anti-immigration position, which includes imposing severe restrictions on legal immigration and preventing any type of leniency toward illegal immigrants. The Trump administration has also been very hostile toward asylum seekers. President Trump is fully aware of the growing I/N ratio anxiety among white voters.
The democratic party, on the other hand is advocating for more tolerant immigration and asylum policies. The party has not shown any sensitivity to the anxiety ratio of the native population. This insensitivity is a mistake and might push a large number of white voters who have supported the democratic party's liberal values on economic and healthcare policies to vote republican. The ratio anxiety played an important role in President Trump's success in the 2016 presidential elections.
It is clear that President Trump is aware of the growing anxiety of some white voters about immigration. He will make immigration a leading issue in his 2020 re-election campaign. The ugly chants of "Send her back" during one of his presidential campaigns in July 2019 is a good demonstration of President Trump's willingness to exploit these sentiments. What the media did not notice during the same speech was the silence of the same crowd when President Trump expressed support to merit-based immigration of skilled workers. The crowd did not chant "Let them in". This mute reaction was an indication of the participants' opposition to all types of immigration.
In order to reduce the number of white voters who might support slogans like "Send her back", the Democratic Party must support a significant reduction in immigration, while strongly rejecting racism and ethnic prejudice.
In other words, the Democratic Party must realize that there are many white Americans with liberal and progressive views who are worried about the I/N ratio. It is also a mistake to assume that the new immigrants and non-white ethnic minorities are interested in large annual immigration, which will further increase the I/N ratio. They might prefer a stable I/N ratio in order to prevent a native backlash and reduce the risk of racial/ethnic tensions.
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