An enormous part of this country does not want it to be young and vibrant if that means it isn't white, Christian, and English speaking.

Like I don't want to be coy about this, the Republican Party is diametrically opposed to any kind of immigration reform that would let in more people that don't look and talk like their voters. The only policy that republicans support that might decrease their average age is anti education and anti birth control/abortion measures.

We should not continue to be surprised by this. It's what they've been saying for decades. You can't counter an irrational fear of the other with rational arguments about immigration - the racist nugget at its core just has to be nipped in the bud.

Why would they do that, though? The thing the representatives care most about is getting re-elected. It's much easier (and productive to their interests) to point the finger at various other causes for economic decline than attempt to convince your constituents that bringing in immigrants is the solution. No one wants to be told that they are the problem, and "the other" needs to be brought in to fix it.

Many people are racist/xenophobic and don't want people of other races or cultures "taking over" their neighborhoods or towns. Even those who aren't actively racist are just resistant to change on that level, because it scares them.

It makes more sense if you understand that leaders that use racism for political gains generally don’t care about serving the public; they’re in it to advance their own ambitions or act as agents for moneyed interests. The policies they support are motivated by the desire to hold power at any cost.

This is why you see all the other vile laws against abortion and the “don’t say gay laws”… they don’t actually benefit the states at all but are a useful tool for the politicians that peddle them to stay in power.