Yesterday, the people of the U.K. decided in a close referendum to exit the EU. Supporters of so-called Brexit were jubilant and called the day as Independence Day. The people were basically voting against globalization, influx of uncontrolled immigration of refugees from Syria and elsewhere, and increased terrorism risk posed by open borders within the EU. The same issues are driving the candidacy of Donald J. Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee, here in the U.S.
Trump has been hammering at the issue of unfair global trade deals that are encouraging American multi-national companies to move jobs to less industrialized countries with cheap labor, causing stagnated job market domestically and huge loss of manufacturing base in the U.S. This globalization has amounted to an unprecedented transfer of jobs and wealth from rich countries to developing countries such as China, India, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, and others. The workers here in the U.S. have experienced stagnated incomes and increased income inequality that are fueling resentment among the masses. The rise of Trump is no accident; given the global trends, it was inevitable that extreme dissatisfaction among the population will turn into popular movements.
The U.S., like in the E.U, has also had this growing problem of illegal immigrants, numbering in tens of millions from Mexico and other impoverished countries in the region aided by the U.S. open borders. These undocumented immigrants are taxing the government services system and creating a shadow economy that is hurting the country’s economic well being. The U.K., along with other E.U. countries, has had similar economic migration because of passport-less borders within the E.U. In the U.S., the current presidential election cycle has afforded the people a timely opportunity to voice their opposition to illegal immigration. Trump, who has advocated to build a wall along our southern border with Mexico and to deport millions of illegal immigrants, easily managed to capture the support of many Americans who urgently want the immigration reforms. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presumptive nominee, has in fact opposed Trump’s proposal to build the wall on the southern border with Mexico and she has also spoken against deporting millions of illegal immigrants who are already here in the U.S.
In the wake of growing violence in the Middle-East caused by the rise of ISIS, millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Libya, and elsewhere are trying to migrate to the EU and the U.S. This huge influx of migrant asylum seekers in the West has created an opening for ISIS jihadists to enter the EU and the U.S. as refugees and engage in Islamic terrorism. In recent months, we have had a marked increase in terrorist acts in France, Belgium, Germany, and the U.S. that has been attributed to ISIS. Many local residents resent their governments agreeing to let thousands of refugees with possibly fake Syrian passports enter their countries and increase the risk of terrorist acts in their own homeland. President Barack Obama, in spite of reservations expressed by many security experts, has continued to let thousands of migrant refugees come to the U.S. In fact, Clinton has said that she will increase the number of these refugees who are allowed to settle in the U.S. over and above proposed by Obama.
The nationalist feeling has been on the rise in the West and the Brexit referendum is the first concrete proof that the people want less globalization, better control of their country’s borders, and more strict standards for allowing migrant refugees to enter their countries on asylum. Trump’s “America First” is not just a slogan; it is a heartfelt expression of millions of people around the world and they want their governments to put them first. The Brexit referendum has strengthened the basic premise of Trump's political campaign and he may very well win the presidency in November, albeit by a small margin.
