Author John Daniel Davidson profileThe most important debate in America today is not about immigration policy but about what it means to be an American. Our immigration debate is of course a proxy for that. It’s easier to argue over asylum policy, or ICE enforcement protocols, than it is to tackle the fraught question of who is an American and who isn’t, who really belongs here and who doesn’t.

At the heart of this debate are competing historical narratives about our heritage. On the right, there’s a growing willingness to argue straightforwardly and unapologetically that America isn’t just a creed or a proposition but a nation with a shared history and culture. Vice President J.D. Vance endorsed this view last year in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. “America is not just an idea,” he said. “It is a group of people with a shared history and a common future. It is, in short, a nation.” …

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