Amidst the recent furor over the Trump administration’s immigration policy, a common refrain has been to assert that “this is not who we are”– that these cruel policies fundamentally clash with American values and our history as a “nation of immigrants.” This sentiment, however well-intentioned, ignores the long history of xenophobia in American society. Indeed, recent policies and rhetoric represent only the most recent of many surges of nativism in American history. Thus, one might argue that this is exactly who we are. In this service, exploration of the current political climate in its historical context by relating it to previous waves of immigration and nativism. As well as how Unitarian Universalist principles can underlie a thoughtful, ethical, and humane perspective on immigration policy.