Typically I respond with the obvious “they’re not” answer - but even if they were - it’s important to realize who the real enemy is in that situation. These people are often coming from war-torn or poverty-stricken countries, primarily BECAUSE OF U.S. CAPITALISM AND IMPERIALISM. They wouldn’t even be here if they weren’t forced by horrific material conditions.

I ask the person to consider if they would want to leave everything, their family, common language, homeland, for no reason other than “my life might be a little better there” and the answer is obviously no. The immigrants they are concerned about (the poor, desperate brown ones - not the rich French or x “white” ones) are coming out of absolute desperation and taking shitty jobs that often aren’t even ones they’d be doing in the first place. They are the most exploitable and therefore most exploited people. They have much more in common with you (the x ignorant or racist person) than you do with any of these people you see on TV. Why don’t you stop blaming them and punching down and focus that energy on uniting with others like you - working class people - and take some action instead of posting racist memes on Facebook?

Capitalism creates poverty and misery and exports it abroad: Immigration is often caused by Imperialism, the highest stage of Capitalism. People from third world countries find themselves unable to live a proper life due to the shackles of Western Imperialism and decide to move to the Imperial Core, in search of a better life. They are then exploited as a cheap labor force and used as scapegoats by the same people that exploit them to justify all the issues and contradictions of the Capitalist system.

This is where the “immigrants are taking over our jobs” narrative comes from.