The American Immigration Council does not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office. We aim to provide an analysis of the election’s impact on the U.S. immigration system.
“La tierra se seco,” that was my father’s short explanation for why he left Mexico as a teenager in the 1970s. His family made a living on a small farm in rural northern Mexico. But when the drought came, the land could no longer support them. So, like my mother, he immigrated to the United States in search of new opportunities.
My father worked in construction for over 30 years before becoming a baker at a grocery store. Meanwhile, my mother worked in a factory and then moved to a call center. They raised three children, all of whom graduated from college. This is a source of great pride for our family. Their story is one of perseverance, resilience, and belief in the promise of a better future. It’s also one of the millions of untold stories that rarely make it into media headlines or policy discussions.
While national conversations about immigration often focus on tragedy and horror, the reality for most immigrants is far more normal.
I think of friends like Martha*, a DACA recipient who works in the nonprofit sector. She has been advocating for immigration reform since she was a teenager. She is now in her 30s and has two children. She faces an uncertain future as the DACA program winds its way through the courts and could be ended by the Trump administration. Or Miguel* and his wife Rosa*, whom I met recently while doing a community presentation. They have lived in the United States without immigration status through five presidential administrations since the late 1990s. They have three children, own a home, and are developing a family preparedness plan in case one of them is detained and deported in the next few years. Despite being deeply woven into the fabric of the United States, these people remain excluded from conversations that drive immigration policy in Congress.
Think about it. There are an estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally in 2022, 79% of whom have been here for nearly 15 years. These are people who have built their lives, families, and careers in this country.
Instead of addressing this reality, we see proposals that rely heavily on coercion and fear. These bills amplify the argument that immigrants are a danger to society. This fear-mongering not only dehumanizes millions of people, it ignores the real contributions that immigrants make to our communities and economy.
It is said that if we spend more money locking up and deporting people (even those who have not been charged with a crime), we will be safer and more prosperous as a society. But history tells us otherwise. Decades of increased spending on enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have failed to address fundamental immigration problems or improve public safety. Instead, we have reinforced an inhumane and inefficient system.
Despite these inequalities, a singular focus on enforcement continues. Some members of Congress intend to allocate an additional $120 billion to ICE and CBP, but are unwilling to invest even a fraction of that amount in improving the system’s capabilities. For example, at the end of 2023, the Biden administration announced $2.2 billion in additional funding to hire more asylum workers and judges, and $1.4 billion to support city and county integration efforts for newly arrived immigrants. $3.2 billion to fund refugee resettlement in the United States. And overseas. However, the request was never considered in Congress.
Immigration is not just a political issue, it is also a human issue. In the 1980s, my parents obtained green cards and were eventually able to fully integrate into society as U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, there are millions of people who have yet to experience the security and certainty that my parents provided.
Congress has a choice. We can continue down the path of punitive policies that exacerbate dysfunction, or we can pursue reforms like the Path to Civil Rights that reflect and honor the everyday stories of people like Martha, Miguel, and Rosa. You can also do that.
*Name changed
Areas of responsibility: Congress, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
