---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's unfortunate that the country of…"
description: "\"It's unfortunate that the country of immigrants has turned its back on immigrants. The atmosphere after 9/11 is toxic.\" — Andrew Lam"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg"
---

#  It's unfortunate that the country of immigrants has turned…

![“It's unfortunate that the country of immigrants has turned its back on immigrants. The atmosphere after 9/11 is toxic.” quote by Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg)

> “It's unfortunate that the country of immigrants has turned its back on immigrants. The atmosphere after 9/11 is toxic.”

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Immigration policies have become hostile, especially after 9/11, creating a toxic environment for newcomers.

**In simple terms:** Immigrants face increasing hostility post‑9/11.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for inclusive policies.

Themes

immigration politics social climate hostility

Mood

concerned critical

Type

political social commentary

When to use this quote

- job search
- community integration
- political activism
- public discourse

Key Concepts

nationalism policy xenophobia

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies could improve immigrant inclusion?
- How can communities heal after fear?

A Different Perspective

Complex issues require nuanced solutions beyond blame.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Country Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-immigrants-242414/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigrants Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants-atmosphere-3028753/) [Immigrants Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants-turned-3028754/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Toxic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toxic/) [Turned Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-immigrants-3028755/) [Unfortunate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate/)

## Related quotes

> [It is good to live in a country where all are immigrants ... the newcomer is simply the latest arrival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/it-is-good-to-live-in-a-country-where-all-are-immigrants-the-newcomer/)

[Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/)

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

> [We are a country from immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-biden/we-are-a-country-from-immigrants/)

[Ashley Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-biden/)

> [The press is going to have to learn anew that it's possible to work in an environment that is not so toxic and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-gup/the-press-is-going-to-have-to-learn-anew-that-it-s-possible-to-work/)

[Ted Gup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-gup/)

> [I'm not saying everything out there is bad and toxic, but there are some things that are not scriptural. For example, some people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/i-m-not-saying-everything-out-there-is-bad-and-toxic-but-there-are/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [“I will do everything I legally can to shut down the toxic Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project atop Mauna Kea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-will-do-everything-i-legally-can-to-shut-down-the-toxic-thirty/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [All I can do is seek the information that'll make me stronger, that'll help me overcome my toxic masculinity, my male privilege, because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-parker/all-i-can-do-is-seek-the-information-that-ll-make-me-stronger-that-ll/)

[Nate Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-parker/)

> [You know how gossip is. It's the toxic waste of small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-know-how-gossip-is-it-s-the-toxic-waste-of-small-town/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [There was a time when idealistic folksingers such as myself believed that Reality TV was a programming vogue that would peak and recede, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/there-was-a-time-when-idealistic-folksingers-such-as-myself-believed/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [“Disharmony at home or work is toxic to a person’s physical disposition and mental health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/disharmony-at-home-or-work-is-toxic-to-a-person-s-physical/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [“Slander does to a soul what cancer does to a cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/slander-does-to-a-soul-what-cancer-does-to-a-cell/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/)

[Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/)

> [I think most people know when they're in a toxic relationship - it requires an enormous amount of effort to keep it going, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-coles/i-think-most-people-know-when-they-re-in-a-toxic-relationship-it/)

[Joanna Coles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-coles/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

## More by Andrew Lam

> [When I came to the United States in 1975 I was eleven, and within a few months my voice broke. I recited commercials like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/when-i-came-to-the-united-states-in-1975-i-was-eleven-and-within-a/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [The collection is a labor of love and devotion, and whenever I found free time from my journalism work, I'd work on one story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/the-collection-is-a-labor-of-love-and-devotion-and-whenever-i-found/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [I am hopeful that the pendulum swings toward seeing immigrants in favorable terms once more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/i-am-hopeful-that-the-pendulum-swings-toward-seeing-immigrants-in/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [When a well-rounded character takes over, he doesn't lecture you about his history and how he is misunderstood. He lives his life, does things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/when-a-well-rounded-character-takes-over-he-doesn-t-lecture-you-about/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [I am glad to see the wheels are moving at last toward comprehensive immigration reform after last year's election. I am glad that immigrants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/i-am-glad-to-see-the-wheels-are-moving-at-last-toward-comprehensive/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [America's story is largely an immigrant story. That hasn't changed since the Pilgrims ate their first turkey some four hundred years ago, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/america-s-story-is-largely-an-immigrant-story-that-hasn-t-changed/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [That experience of losing home, longing for home, that yearning for meaning and rootedness and identity in a floating world, it's what often makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/that-experience-of-losing-home-longing-for-home-that-yearning-for/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [Isn't the first story told in the West about the Fall? Adam and Eve were immigrants too from somewhere, a lost Eden, a paradise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/isn-t-the-first-story-told-in-the-west-about-the-fall-adam-and-eve/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [ After twenty years and thirty stories, thirteen pieces were finally selected and the collection was born. So far, the blurbs from \[authors\] Maxine Hong… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/after-twenty-years-and-thirty-stories-thirteen-pieces-were-finally/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [I thought, "Wow, English is like magic." It not only shattered my voice, it changed me physiologically. I believed this for months ... There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/i-thought-wow-english-is-like-magic-it-not-only-shattered-my-voice-it/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [“He knew it even before he could fully articulate it: between East and West lay a terrain that needed to be charted by stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/he-knew-it-even-before-he-could-fully-articulate-it-between-east-and/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [Today, more people are crossing various borders in order to survive, thrive, change their lives. Even if you don't cross the border, with demographic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/today-more-people-are-crossing-various-borders-in-order-to-survive/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [I have a funny story to tell about English and how I came to fall in love with the language. I was desperate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/i-have-a-funny-story-to-tell-about-english-and-how-i-came-to-fall-in/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [I've been writing short stories for twenty years now, on and off ever since I was in the creative writing program at San Francisco…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/i-ve-been-writing-short-stories-for-twenty-years-now-on-and-off-ever/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

> [Where are the leaders who can speak to the idea that it is not alien to American interests, but very much in our socioeconomic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/where-are-the-leaders-who-can-speak-to-the-idea-that-it-is-not-alien/)

[Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

[Explore all 28 Andrew Lam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/)

## More Atmosphere quotes

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/)

[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/)

> [Pause before you get home and prepare your heart. A peaceful heart leads to a peaceful atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-burns/pause-before-you-get-home-and-prepare-your-heart-a-peaceful-heart/)

[Jim Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-burns/)

> [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. There are times when you finish with ten seconds left, and one extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/sometimes-a-minute-is-really-the-difference-between-success-and/)

[Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/)

> [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“Atmosphere" is a massive song. A lot of people say it's their favorite Joy Division song, but it's not mine; it reminds me too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hook/atmosphere-is-a-massive-song-a-lot-of-people-say-it-s-their-favorite/)

[Peter Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hook/)

> [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/)

[Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/)

> [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/)

[Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/)

> [It was clear to me that the White House's solemn atmosphere would not civilize Trump. But the merciless nepotism with which he conducts politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-white-house-s-solemn-atmosphere-would-not/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/)

[Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/)

> [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/)

[Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/)

[Browse all 1,572 Atmosphere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's unfortunate that the country of immigrants has turned its back on immigrants. The atmosphere after 9/11 is toxic.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrew Lam"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-immigrants-has-turned-its-back/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atmosphere"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-immigrants-has-turned-its-back/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/andrew-lam-21834_atmosphere_it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-imm_1120546.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's unfortunate that the country of immigrants has turned its back on immigrants. The atmosphere after 9/11…” — Andrew Lam",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andrew Lam",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's unfortunate that the country of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-immigrants-has-turned-its-back/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/it-s-unfortunate-that-the-country-of-immigrants-has-turned-its-back/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
