At AFSC, we welcome all people, no matter where you were born or when or how you choose to immigrate. We know that immigrants strengthen our communities, and we value the many contributions of immigrant leaders and organizers.
We also know that as soon as you turn on the news in the United States today, you are bombarded with anti-immigrant messages. And this election season, the national conversation about immigration has only gotten worse.
The good news is that a majority of Americans (74%) actually want an immigration system that welcomes people and treats them with dignity. And there are effective messages you can use to break through the noise and vitriol of this moment.
Whether you’re having dinner with family members who disagree about politics or responding to a friend on social media, here are five tips for changing someone’s mind about immigration in the United States. These tips are the result of research by AFSC, ACLU, and others. , Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, and The Opportunity Agenda.
1. Always start with shared values.
When starting a conversation about a sensitive topic, say something that is important to both you and the listener. This creates space in their minds for open conversation.
For example, start with a message like, “Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a good life for themselves and their families.” This can help frame conversations about immigration with people who may have never met someone from outside the United States, but who share widely held values such as freedom and opportunity.
2. Focus on the humanity we all share and the diverse contributions we all make to our communities.
We are all human. We all contribute to our community. We all love our friends and family. And we all make mistakes. Talking about each other, including immigrants, as complete, complex, and messy human beings humanizes people and breaks through the demonizing rhetoric we see in the media.
Immigrant advocacy conversations often focus on the economic contributions that immigrants make to their communities. Beyond these messages, it’s important to talk about how we all contribute to our communities. We include not only our workers, but also our neighbors, friends, family, and more. This type of message helps humanize the complexity and contributions of everyone, including immigrants.
3. Address the listener’s concerns indirectly.
It is important to recognize people’s fears, which can be exacerbated by misinformation in the media. Some of these fears have nothing to do with immigration.
But we can also provide accurate information and real immigration stories to help people overcome those fears. AFSC is just one of many organizations that welcome newcomers, support immigrants in their quest for settlement and citizenship, and advocate for family unity. By explaining some of these efforts, we can indirectly address people’s fears.
4. Model the changes you want to see.
Telling a story about your personal growth and how your thinking has changed gives your listener permission to be open-minded. It also serves as a roadmap for how you want to grow.
Share your own life story about meeting someone from another country and getting to know them as a complete person, personality and all. Show how you interacted with each other in some way. This might include helping each other at work or volunteering together in the community. Talk about how your own thinking has grown or evolved as a result.
5. If your audience isn’t listening, talk to them.
Even if someone doesn’t agree with you right away, that doesn’t mean you haven’t planted a seed in their heart or in the hearts of other listeners.
To cut through the noise this election season, tell a story that starts with shared values, focuses on our common humanity, allays someone’s fears, and ultimately shows how you’ve grown. There is a need.
Want to learn more about how to talk about immigration? Check out our recent webinar series on how to have “difficult conversations” about immigration.
