In a recent article in The Echo, the authors rightfully condemned political violence and acknowledged the humanity of Charlie Kirk. That piece also provided a brief overview of his political career, highlighting its more positive aspects. To offer another perspective, I want to provide additional context about some of Kirk’s more controversial beliefs—especially his stance on immigration, which deeply resonates with our diverse community at Tenafly.
At the Student Action Summit in Tampa in July, Kirk criticized legal immigration, stating in The Independent that “it’s legal immigration that is also the problem. When you allow a bunch of people into your country legally and they don’t share your values, it turns out they don’t always assimilate.” He was referring to politicians such as Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Zohran Mamdani. These are politicians elected by Americans, in accordance with the American Constitution, to represent the American people. There is a strong argument that those politicians were able to assimilate, ending up loving America and striving to make this country better for all. So what exactly is the problem? Is it that their views happen to differ from Kirk’s?
Even if this statement that they “don’t share your values” is true, America was built on disagreement. The Founding Fathers disagreed with each other: Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton clashed over federal power and the National Bank, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams argued over diplomatic strategy, and Hamilton and Adams feuded over a standing army. Those debates made our country stronger. Silencing or dismissing those who disagree contradicts American values, including those of Kirk himself, who built his career off of inviting people into an argument about their political stances.
Kirk’s stance on immigrants’ motivation for coming to this country is also misguided and biased. He stated on The Charlie Kirk Show, aired in December 2023, that “when I talk to foreigners, far too often, they hate this country, they’re just here to make money,” according to Media Matters for America. As a student of Tenafly High, where many students or their parents are immigrants, I see the opposite: immigrants enrich this country by bringing new ideas, new culture, and economic growth. Much of America’s success is due to the hard work and dreams of people who came from elsewhere.
Although this article only focuses on his stance on immigration, I believe that it was an important topic to discuss because of the community we live in.
When I started researching for this article, I had an extremely negative view of Kirk. Upon doing more research, I realized he had some statements I could agree with. It is clear that he loved our country, even if his values differ from mine and others. So no, I don’t think he was the “voice of a generation.” But I recognize that he could represent a portion of it. I encourage everyone, no matter your opinion on Kirk, to do some more research on his achievements and controversies and form a more honest image of him before making political claims about such a controversial figure.
