January 11, 2023

Make migration great again.

"President Biden on Tuesday defended his handling of the border and thanked his Mexican counterpart for a willingness to accept asylum seekers rejected by the United States during a period of what he called 'the greatest migration in human history' across the region." (NYT)

What is the greatest migration in human history? Biden said "across the region," so I assume he means the greatest migration over the southern border of the United States. Is the greatness of migration determined by numbers or by the grandeur of the purpose or achievement?

The greatest migration in human history must be the original migration of our species out of the continent of Africa. There were no borders then, and the numbers would need to be converted to percentages to compare. And, technically, it was pre-history — 80,000 years ago:

This great migration brought our species to a position of world dominance that it has never relinquished and signaled the extinction of whatever competitors remained—Neanderthals in Europe and Asia, some scattered pockets of Homo erectus in the Far East and, if scholars ultimately decide they are in fact a separate species, some diminutive people from the Indonesian island of Flores (see "Were 'Hobbits' Human?"). When the migration was complete, Homo sapiens was the last—and only—man standing.

Here's a Wikipedia article addressing the term "great migration":

A specific mass migration that is seen as especially influential to the course of history may be referred to as a 'great migration.' For example, great migrations include the Indo-European migrations to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia during the Bronze Age, the Bantu migrations across sub-Saharan Africa, Barbarian invasions during the Roman Empire, the Great Migration from England of the 1630s, the California Gold Rush from 1848–1850, the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural American South to the industrial north during 1920–1950, and The Great Oromo Migrations of Oromo tribes during the 15th and 16th centuries in the Horn of Africa. UNHCR estimates 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced during the partition of India, the largest mass migration in human history.

The largest documented voluntary emigration in history was the Italian diaspora, which migrated from Italy between 1880 and 1915, with 13 million people leaving the country.

62 comments:

Chris said...

I think the greatest migration in history might be the migration of the Jews out of Egypt.

Owen said...

Who writes this drivel?

Scarier question: who believes it?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

The stuff Biden doesn’t know about history could fill the Library of Congress and does.

wendybar said...

Greaatest invasion in American history. There, I fixed it for them.

Humperdink said...

The sovereignty of the United States has evaporated under this administration. Normally this would be enough to boot these clowns from office, but alas, a large portion of illiterate electorate (read: Commie-Pinko lefties) are cheering it on.

Lurker21 said...

Biden said "across the region," so I assume he means the greatest migration over the southern border of the United States.

Still, it was ambiguous. Why say "in human history" if you're only talking about this particular area?

The problem with asking what Biden meant or what Biden actually thinks is that the usual answers are "nothing" and "he doesn't know himself."

Yancey Ward said...

The Democrats' goal is blindingly obvious and simple- invite hordes of third worlders, get them on the government dole, then make them citizens and voters. Of course, they will end up ruling over a ruin of a country that has become a third world shit-hole, but that is the goal.

RideSpaceMountain said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RideSpaceMountain said...

The further back in time you get, the fewer people there are. To put it in perspective, there is genetic evidence that 70,000 years ago there may have been as few as 2000 hominids in existence...on the entire planet.

Spread over thousands of years, that adds up significantly, but I'm not sure it adds up enough to overtake mass migrations of the last 500 years, especially the wartime refugee movements of WWII and the partition of India, but most especially the economic invasion of Western nations taking place in the last 30 years.

Temujin said...

Biden calling this multi-year wave of illegals streaming over the US southern border an 'historic migration' would be like me throwing a massive party, inviting major celebrities, and then standing back and claiming this is an unprecedented wave of people entering my event center. Biden invited the Southern hemisphere to come here. He (and certain state Governors) have offered free housing, schooling, medical care, food, and money to come. WHY WOULDN'T THEY COME?

In other words, this 'historic migration' is just a massive RSVP to the Biden administration, Gavin Newsom, Jared Polis, Jay Inslee, Kate Brown and many others. He seems to be the single least capable person in the world to understand what is happening in our country trying to absorb 5 million new, poor, un to slightly educated people into our country. Our country with our own streets overflowing with homeless, drugs, crime, and soaring costs of living, decreasing access to affordable energy.

Nothing much going on here. What's another 6-7 million to put on the dole? I hope you younger people are ready for the tax bills you're going to be paying in the near future. And retirement? Don't even think about it. Someone's going to have to pay for all of this.

Mr Wibble said...

The "great migration," as if it's some sort of natural phenomenon and not the result of decades of stupid policies by us leaders.

gilbar said...

so, serious question... WHY are we inviting these people here?
Don't we have enough (MORE Than Enough) people HERE, to take care of?
The Chamber of Commerce says that This is GREAT! because it will reduce wages
The democrat parts says that This is GREAT! because it will increase votes

But.. What's in it, for those of us already here? Just how many illiterate lawn mowers do we NEED?

Leland said...

I'm sure Snopes will be all over this. Oh, nope... Snopes is too busy trying to argue the significant difference between storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and Biden's office. It's as bad as the Guardian piece.

gilbar said...

we don't have gas or oil or electricity or unicorn farts to provide for people already here
we can't provide health care for the people already here
we can't provide housing for the people already here
according to the liberals.. we can't even provide FOOD for the people already here

WHY? Are we bringing in MORE people? Anyone got an answer?

Enigma said...

Oligarchs are going to use bread and circuses to bribe the masses, and strategize to preserve their hegemonic power by any means necessary. They also require a working underclass to actually get anything done. This class may exist within the borders, as slaves before the Civil War or with share cropping after the war. Or, this can occur internationally with low paid workers in China, India, Mexico, grateful for any job, etc.

COVID and anxiety over China's power led to shortened international supply chains, so now the oligarchs need to bring slave/servant class inside the borders. Bill Gates is buying farmland. Greased palm Biden is beholden to both the bribed underclass and the oligarchs: he never said no to a dollar in his life. Note how the idealistic left got distracted from its "Occupy Wall St.", "Tax the 1%", and Chinese Uyghur support movements in just a few years.

320Busdriver said...

Are these people yearning to reside here for freedom, or to live in bondage? I think we still have a choice. For now.

RideSpaceMountain said...

@Yancey Ward

"Second- or third-generation foreign immigrants may appear outwardly to be entirely assimilated, but they often constitute a weakness in two directions. First, their basic human nature often differs from that of the original imperial stock. If the earlier imperial race was stubborn and slow-moving, the immigrants might come from more emotional races, thereby introducing cracks and schisms into the national policies, even if all were equally loyal. Second, while the nation is still affluent, all the diverse races may appear equally loyal. But in an acute emergency, the immigrants will often be less willing to sacrifice their lives and their property than will be the original descendants of the founder race."

- Sir John Glubb (Fate of Empires)

In other words, democrats thinking they're getting eaten last doesn't mean they don't get eaten.

rcocean said...

Biden wants us to be invaded, and for millions and millions of mexicans, South americans, and everyone else to come here, legally or not.

Its good for Big Business and means more D voters. Its bad for most, a zero gain for everyone else.

The Democrat voters don't care. Those that live in big cities, can't even get upset at crime or homelessness. THe minorites just think: The D's are the XYZ party, so I'm on their side. Then you have the dumbo "I hate those Goddamn Republicans" types. The Republican voters DO care, but can't get their voices heard.

Its interesting how the Democrat Party elite and the MSM, have dropped any pretense of abiding by the law, respecting old American values like "the rule of law" "Free Speech" or "Government of the people, by the people, for the people". We're one-step away from an authoritarian state.

Balfegor said...

In the West, the greatest historical migration has to be the Völkerwanderung, less for numbers than for its lasting political and social effects on Europe from the late Roman period right down to the present day.

The only possible competition -- in America, at least -- would be the waves of immigration that resulted in European colonisation of all North America and the resulting near-total displacement of the native population. Second, also for America, might be either the forcible relocation of the native population into the interior of the continent (the trail of tears, etc.) or the forcible relocation of African slaves to the New World, but neither of those is really a "migration," to me, since I think of "migration" as voluntary.

Joe Smith said...

It's not 'migration,' it's a fucking invasion.

Do you know what contributes to inflation? 30 million extra people competing for the same chicken wings and eggs.

Higher rent? 30 million extra people competing for the same apartments and houses.

Traffic jams? 30 million extra people on the road.

Long waiting times at hospital emergency rooms?

Little Johnny can't spell because his class is only being taught in English half the time.

This country is the only one in the world that allows unfettered access to goods and services to people who broke the law to get here. And who break the law every day by stealing identities, trafficking in drugs, and yes, even raping and killing U.S. citizens.

But Democrats want votes and Republicans want cheap labor.

Fuck both parties on this issue. It is the number one thing that will destroy this country and nobody cares.

We've lost our sovereignty and are rapidly losing our culture.

I have some pretty simple solutions that would cost very little, but until people decide they've had enough, nothing will change...

wendybar said...

Cloward and Pivening us to death.

Bob Boyd said...

the greatest migration in human history

It's yuuuge! So much migration! Everyone says it's the greatest migration they've ever seen. It's a big, beautiful migration.

Dude1394 said...

The question isn't who writes this drivel ( we know it is written by politicians ). The bigger question is why would the NYTimes continue to destroy it's brand as an actual newspaper by not reporting that the statement is full of shite.

Sebastian said...

Greatest is a gaffe. It is the inadvertent acknowledgment that Dems love the invasion and want it to continue. They despise America and its people. Migrants are the tools to take down the domestic enemy and its deplorable culture.

Michael K said...

Its interesting how the Democrat Party elite and the MSM, have dropped any pretense of abiding by the law, respecting old American values like "the rule of law," "Free Speech" or "Government of the people, by the people, for the people". We're one-step away from an authoritarian state.

No, I would suggest we are there now. Ask the 600 people in Garland's archipelago about authoritarian states.

gahrie said...

The only possible competition -- in America, at least -- would be the waves of immigration that resulted in European colonisation of all North America and the resulting near-total displacement of the native population.

What about the earlier waves of immigration from Asia that colonized the whole Western hemisphere replacing an earlier population?

Steven Wilson said...

Their motto seems to be Lucifer’s. Better to rule in hell….

hombre said...

This man and his supporters are insane!

Within the last 20 years Slick Willie, Dinghy Harry, Shumer and other Dem leaders were telling us how damaging the flow of illegals was. Hypocrites!

BUMBLE BEE said...

At first, I couldn't believe dem voters would do Biden/Harris to their children and grandchildren. After careful consideration of recent events, I see it as logical progression.
Hey Groomers, how's that Fundamental Transformation working out for ya?

BUMBLE BEE said...

They have forfeited the title Sapiens.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

No, I would suggest we are there now. Ask the 600 people in Garland's archipelago about authoritarian states.

...and the 8500 service members "involuntarily separated" from the military for not getting the experimental shot. And the thousands of small businesses killed by the shutdowns while Wal-Mart and Target stayed open nationwide.

madAsHell said...

Wow!! They set up an ambush in Philly with fully automatic pistols, and then yelled in Spanish as they departed in a getaway car.

Full auto weapons, fentanyl, human trafficking......what else is coming across the border?

ColoComment said...

I'd also note that it's not only the initial individual who illegally enters the country (and then is escorted / disappears into the interior to await resolution of a perhaps invalid amnesty claim.) So long as birthright citizenship (and reluctance to separate a legally-born child from the illegal parent) and chain migration are legal and in operation, it potentially permits legalization also, respectively, of their U.S.-born children, and their immediate and possible extended family members....

The initial illegal border-crosser is just the opening move on the gameboard.

Beaver7216 said...

It finally hit me. Just how Trumpian Biden is with his boasting. So much of what he has done has some unfounded Trumpian claim. Employment growth, govt rebuilding legislation, diversity, migration. He is truly amazing and probably the most impactful President in history. (sarcasm)

BUMBLE BEE said...

So Far So Good...
https://nypost.com/2023/01/10/tons-of-food-gets-tossed-by-nyc-hotel-because-migrants-wont-eat-it/#

BUMBLE BEE said...

So Far So Good...
https://nypost.com/2023/01/10/tons-of-food-gets-tossed-by-nyc-hotel-because-migrants-wont-eat-it/#

pacwest said...

I'm not a history buff so I may need some correction on this, but it seems to me that the great migrations being discussed here didn't turn out that well for the areas that were on the receiving end of it. At least for the first few centuries.

As for the present wave flooding the US we can run some estimates on the financial costs. Near $100b net negative for 11m illegals. No telling what that number is now. Almost certainly $200b or more. The civil costs are hard to quantify, but any study I have seen always suggest a net negative for civil society worldwide and I assume the civil costs become logmarithmic at some point. Even without quantification the negatives of many of the countries having a high influx of immigrants (a number higher than the rate of assimilation) have become obvious. Sweden is a good example. I would argue the civil costs are higher than the financial. Either way it's hard to argue what is happening at our southern border is a good thing for any but a very few who can profit from it. Unfortunately those few seem to be the ones running the country at present. At some point the damage will be irreversible.

But I'd like to hear from the historians here. Narr? Has a mass migration ever been a net positive in the short run (less than a century)? Percentage wise does the current influx count as a "mass" migration?

MikeR said...

This is a "great migration" in the same sense that St. Lucia's flood of the Netherlands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lucia%27s_flood) was a "great water project".
The difference here is that the Democratic Party allowed it on purpose, for political reasons.

Robert Cook said...

"The stuff Biden doesn’t know about history could fill the Library of Congress and does."

I wouldn't doubt it. But I'm sure the things Trump doesn't know about history could fill the Library of Congress several times over. Take it from Trump himself, he surpasses everyone else in all ways.

Paul said...

It is only 'great' cause Big Daddy Biden opened the door for them.

Soon, like Mexico, we will have narco-terroist kidnapping people, leaving heads in the roads, hanging people from bridges, etc... all in the USA!

All thanks to Big Daddy.

JK Brown said...

Say what you will about the southern border crossers, but they will risk life and limb, hardship and hell, just to live illegally in the most racist, sexist, transphobic, fatphobic, homophobic, country in history. Don't believe me, just ask a college student near the loser arts department on just about any college campus.

PB said...

I'll go with India-Pakistan separation.

Lurker21 said...

Biden calls it "great" because he wants this to be an accomplishment for his administration, rather than a massive failure -- and indeed, since the Biden team intended the chaos, it probably is an achievement for them.

It's clear that the Biden team wants people who will be more dependent and more loyal to the Democrats than they are to the country and its traditions, but in response to Sir John Glubb I'd point out that people whose ancestors have been here for centuries often are less loyal to those traditions than people whose ancestors came here more recently. What may be true of premodern or non-Western societies isn't true of the modern West, where education and the whole culture often foster contempt for older traditions.

narciso said...

China has five times russias population it is responsible for 7-10 million people it killed with what came from its owns lab they own biden and the entire administration

robother said...

I missed mention of the European migration to North America, 1615 to 1915. Or is this great because it's viewed as payback for that one?

boatbuilder said...

Umm—unless the asylum seekers are seeking asylum from Mexico—the country that our president is thanking for accepting them—they have no right to seek asylum in the US, because they are already in a country which provides asylum.

But who cares about “international law” or US law? Certainly not our president.

R C Belaire said...

What wendybar posted. Somewhat different focus but end result would be the same.

PM said...

One of the greatest 'migrations' has to be the 400-year shipping of African-captured Africans from the Horn of Africa to the New World - a feat performed by the great sea-faring nations of Europe.

Smilin' Jack said...

“ The greatest migration in human history must be the original migration of our species out of the continent of Africa.”

That’s why I always put African-American when a form asks for race.

Balfegor said...

Re: gahrie:

What about the earlier waves of immigration from Asia that colonized the whole Western hemisphere replacing an earlier population?

I'd put that as "prehistory," since if we're including prehistoric migrations, Out-of-Africa is the clear winner for me.

Tomcc said...

I would like to see an honest defense of this "policy". The administration is not, and evidently has no interest in, securing our national borders. Is it that humanitarian interests must necessarily supersede the societal costs?

n.n said...

Historical evidence, circumstantial evidence correlated with science, and immigration reform in lieu of emigration reform to mitigate progress and collateral damage at both ends of the bridge and throughout. "burdens" of evidence through planning aborted, perhaps cannibalized, and their carbon pollutants sequestered in darkness.

Alexander said...

Mass migration is indistinguishable from genocidal war to the native population. This holds for the Canaanites, the Danubian Romans, the Mohicans, the Celts, the nonBantu central and south Africans, and the various peoples of the Tarim basin to name a few.

In the long run, there is no moral or logical reason to claim this time will be different.

walter said...

Biden promised this during debate.
Those who voted for Joementia own this. Though..they might not have predicted bussing, flying and housing them in hotels. It's a very efficient op.
Hope you decorated nice rape trees this Christmas.

Oh..more US $$$ laudered via UN.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/trust-fund-for-migration.html
https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/un-cash-grants-provide-safety-net-during-covid-19

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

"One of the greatest 'migrations' has to be the 400-year shipping of African-captured Africans from the Horn of Africa to the New World - a feat performed by the great sea-faring nations of Europe."

The African captives sent as slaves to the New World were shipped from West African river deltas, not the Horn (East Africa). From the Horn slaves were shipped to areas in southwest and south Asia.

rcocean said...

One of the great migrations occured when Ottomans and Khazars transported millions of Russians and Ukrainians and various peoples of the Balkans into their Empires as slaves. One never hears much about it.

Nor do you hear about the estimated million or so, Europeans that were hauled off by the North African "pirates" as slaves and captives, during the period 1540-1840.

Rusty said...

Robert Cook said...
"The stuff Biden doesn’t know about history could fill the Library of Congress and does."

"I wouldn't doubt it. But I'm sure the things Trump doesn't know about history could fill the Library of Congress several times over. "
After that mindless screed I'm gonna bet he know a whole lot more than you do.

PM said...

TheOne: of course, my mistake.

wildswan said...

I'm not defending the policy. But here's a few facts:
Hispanics serve in the Armed Forces of the US. They are 17% of the Forces.
The murder rate in the Hispanic community is lower than in the white or black communities.
Half the Hispanic community in many cities supports Trump so it's wrong think that they are automatic Dem voters.
Hispanics save money to buy small businesses. Both Covid lockdowns and overregulation have ruined many of these businesses which represented years of work and saving. This caused and causes extreme dissatisfaction. Again these are not automatic Dem voters.
Hispanics contribute to Social Security right now, helping keep it solvent when those who have been here longer refuse to have children so that the labor force would be shrinking and Social Security collapsing without immigration of some kind. And the illegals use false numbers so they won't be able to collect when they're 65. Thus saving the system twice.
We should and must secure our borders but it is the overloading of the system and the inability of the Dems to govern cities even before these new problems and it is fentanyl and human trafficking and terrorists which are all tied together into one big mess which create the problem. The basic human qualities of the majority of the people coming are not a problem. Nor is their culture a problem. Like ours, it has a European, Christian background with added deep elements from the indigenous people and the Africans.

walter said...

wildswan,
Need to tease out legal vs illegal Hispanics re voting allegiance and basic qualities of the people. If arriving here via Biden policy, any guess on that allegiance? Baked in. And many times, illegals arrive with zero id or background.
Then consider those all around the world who have been patiently waiting on legal process. If we need to import a workforce for some reason, that's the pool to draw from.

Michael K said...


Blogger Robert Cook said...

"The stuff Biden doesn’t know about history could fill the Library of Congress and does."

I wouldn't doubt it. But I'm sure the things Trump doesn't know about history could fill the Library of Congress several times over


I guess that's why you are a billionaire and he isn't. Oh, wait......

Fred Drinkwater said...

Wildswan thinks illegals using fake SSN won't be able to collect social security. 1) that's hardly the only benefit program on offer, and 2) wanna bet?