[zachf]

America has a long history of successful integration of racial groups. Once upon a time, the Irish were extremely unwelcome in Boston, simply for being Catholics. Dozens of examples like this abound in American history. America is stronger than the countries you’ve listed because of the melting pot, not in spite of it. That’s because the selfishness you alluded to is contrary to a core American value: that a person is not defined by their ancestors’ virtues or sins, but by the content of their character. All the immigrants I know are fierce defenders of this principle.

It’s a pity some people can’t think of politics as possibly more than zero sum. A good policy should actually lift all boats. Middle America simply will not survive without more people and more economic activity, period. If native born children choose to move to the coasts, and no immigrants fill in the gaps, you’re not going to have the long-term prosperity you’re imagining.

[like_any_other]

By 'America', do you mean the landmass controlled by some administrative entity that calls itself the US government, or do you mean some group of people?

> It’s a pity some people can’t think of politics as possibly more than zero sum. A good policy should actually lift all boats.

That there are such policies doesn't mean one can ignore the zero-sum ones, or the downright hostile ones, as the Uyghurs could tell you.

[zachf]

I mean the people and land area governed by the United States Constitution, a document that provides explicit protections against the kind of ethnostate policies you are so worried about.