In short order, Sharry established herself as a well-regarded ob/gyn, and I later was offered a job at the local television station. By the time we left last month, we were humbled to be recognized for what we did to teach, mentor and support the people around us.

It was not all sunshine and smooth sailing, to be sure. In order to receive her work permit, Sharry had to overcome regulatory hurdles that included opposition from people who saw her as a competitor rather than a potential colleague. And after my first few nights on TV, there was outrage on talk radio about the new foreigner anchoring “our news.” While I certainly had ample experience to qualify for a job vacancy, I was denounced on the floor of their national assembly, and it was implied to station management that their license may come under greater scrutiny for this umbrage. (It makes me one of the few people you know from around here who has been a talk show pariah targeted by national politicians in two nations.) I followed the only logical path for an outsider in this situation: keep your head down, don’t engage the ugliest critics, and get back to work. It didn’t take long before I was given proper respect for being fair, professional and a good coach to young local journalists. We were both given renewals on our work permits, but we ultimately decided to be closer to family in the U.S.

There are, of course, no magic numbers when it comes to an optimal level of immigrant workers or education spending. But whether it’s in Cayman, or the U.K.’s Brexit referendum, or the recent U.S. campaign, the wrong approach is to scapegoat outsiders for politicians’ past failures to invest in the future. It may lead to short-term election success, but it has never been a foundation on which to grow a society that is prosperous, secure and inviting to the next generation of in-demand workers.