Daily Times

President Donald Trump’s rise to the White House did bring forward a new foreign policy dimension, where the President’s executive orders banned the nationals from seven Muslim countries from entering the United States – a decision later overturned by a Federal Judge. Meanwhile, President Trump has been vocally advocating the expulsion of Mexicans from the US as well.

However, with the immigrant question looming over Washington, the world must know a fact and a truth lying in plain sight for many decades. This truth – gathered through research – dwells upon the corporate history of the United States and focuses on the cultural lineage, ancestry and geographical origin of some of the richest US citizens who also happen to be the most famous corporate leaders of the world.

Out of the top 20 richest US citizens, the family tree of 10 US billionaires touches a non-American lineage, which is interesting and amazing at the same time. This, however, disproves Trump’s call for banning immigrants. It seems if the US – during the last century or so – had not allowed immigrants to settle in its cities, it would have prevented the global rise of many of the corporate empires.

Bill Gates, the co-Founder of Microsoft and perhaps the most recognised US billionaire in the world has his ancestors linking to Scots-Irish, Irish, German and English. The Chairman and CEO, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg’s ancestors came from Poland, Austria, and Germany. Moreover, the biological father of Larry Ellison, co-Founder and former CEO, Oracle Corporation was an Italian-American. The father of Michael Rubens Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg L.P., a financial services company and Bloomberg Television, was a Russian immigrant. The grandfather of Charles Koch, CEO, Koch Industries and David Koch, Vice President, Koch Industries was a Dutch immigrant.

Interestingly, as many people may be unaware, Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin, co-Founder, Google, was born in Moscow and the family of Sheldon Gary Adelson, CEO, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, has his family tree linking to the Ukraine and Lithuania.

Looking at the information mentioned above, ten US billionaires from the top 20 have their ancestral linkages to non-American nationalities.

President Donald Trump must respect all immigrants residing in the United States. The US has always stood as a haven for people immigrating to the US from across the world with the objective and purpose of finding better job opportunities or acquiring education. Many Pakistani families have been settled in the US for decades while nationals from India, Australia, China, Mexico, Philippines, Cuba, and others have also been living peacefully in the US. Although a number of Pakistanis are also residing in the US, the name of Shahid Khan tops the list having a net worth of nearly $8.5 billion, according to Forbes. Including his privately-owned auto parts manufacturing company, he owns National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars and England’s Fulham Football Club. President Trump’s verbal onslaught against immigrants residing in the US is perhaps the end of the open arm and warm welcome gesture the US was fond of giving to any non-American visiting the US for a permanent or temporary abode.

It is a fearful sight for the US economy in the days to come, not because of President Trump becoming the Commander-in-Chief, but because the US population of Baby Boomers retiring in the next few years. The next batch of graduates and workers will take the time to fill the massive void. Furthermore, the PEW Research Center, Washington D.C, claimed a frightful future for the US in one of its reports published in 2014-15. PEW established that the US workforce population – aged between 25 to 64 years – will be 165.6 million in 2035, which was over 180 million in 2015. This reduction in workforce will inevitably reduce economic growth as immigrants do render their services in blue chip and other companies along with working as labours and at other positions in various industries.

The writer can be reached at omariftikhar@hotmail.com