This is more or less exactly what I meant. Once upon a time, the US was perceived as a world leader and a savior of last resort, by our own citizens as well as the world community. Now we're seeing another crisis, and our leaders and their followers insist, like you do, on viewing the whole thing through the lens of... unwanted immigration. Seriously?
Basically, we used to be the teachers in the schoolyard. Now we're a ramshackle fort of sneering kids trying to keep people out of "our" stuff.
Rather, where I live NO ONE could care less about your world leadership or whether you are or ever were the teachers, blah, blah, blah.
All of us out here will bitch and moan about the USA, but give anyone of us a ticket to the USA (especially if our family can come along) and we'll take it in a heartbeat.
Basically, we used to be the teachers in the schoolyard. Now we're a ramshackle fort of sneering kids trying to keep people out of "our" stuff.