The Case for an “America First” Approach to Homeland Security and Immigration

Today, the task of keeping America safe is made complex by a complex world. Our 200-plus-year national experiment in freedom and opportunity continues, but the domestic and international forces that affect our destiny have also evolved over time. And while Americans have shown, generation after generation, that we are up to the task of achieving the more perfect union that our Founders envisioned, staying ahead of old and new threats is a constant battle.

As more than 300 million American citizens go about their daily lives searching for peace and prosperity, they do so in a time of sharp contrast. For the last 4 years, the Trump Administration implemented an America First approach to homeland security. This meant that the health, safety, and security of Americans was the focus of governance, and all other considerations were secondary.

But today, we are witnessing the failed policies of an “America Last” approach to homeland security. Instead of putting the American people first and foremost, the current approach to the homeland puts special interests, non-citizens, and ideology at the forefront of policy considerations. This approach has been tried by past administrations and has failed.

As our Nation continues our great American experiment, the America First Policy Institute launches its Center for Homeland Security and Immigration (CHSI). We invite you to view CHSI’s overview document, which lays out our homeland security and immigration policy vision.

In the coming weeks and months, CHSI will be more involved in the national conversation about homeland security and immigration policy, both past and present. This will include written products based on a combination of research and experience and involve public conversations. We are not afraid to take on policies that put America Last.