The last major effort for Comprehensive Immigration Reform was in 2013. I remember boarding buses from Villanova and Cabrini in 2011 and 2013 to rally on the Mall in Washington and to lobby our Members of Congress. Reform seemed possible and almost attainable in those years. A Comprehensive Reform Bill passed the Senate but died in the House. Since 2013, however, the fight over immigration legislation has become more and more contentious, to the point where it seems unattainable. I have returned every year for the last 10 to meet with staff in their wood-paneled offices on Capitol Hill. However, we can’t even get citizenship for Dream Act holders through Congress.
In general, Americans regard immigration positively. A 2022 Gallup Poll has 70 percent of Americans saying that immigration is a positive force. Why then is comprehensive reform so hard?
I believe it is the picture of chaos that is portrayed daily in the news. While many Americans say that immigrants should “get in line” or “do it the right way,” I think that when they say these words, what many mean is that they are aghast at and fearful of the lack of order they see in pictures. When they say “build that wall,” I think what they are expressing is the need for a system that is functioning better. (I admit, many say these words as nativists, but I believe most are open to immigration but upset at the chaos they see.)
I think it is obvious that the system is broken. Although we have poured money into militarizing the border and into enforcement, a similar investment has not been made into the system for processing applicants. The numbers of immigrants are overwhelming the process. In addition, because the allotment of visas in the various categories bears little relation to both the demand and the need, more and more migrants are resorting to seeking asylum to skirt the broken immigration system. However, the asylum criteria were basically devised for the post-World War II reality, not for the new drivers of displacement: climate change, gangs, drugs, and corruption. However, asylum seems a better alternative to legal migration.
We know that we need to increase visas based on employment needs in the U.S. We know we need to make it easier for talented immigrant students, who graduate with desirable skills, to create a career and life here. We know we need to make the processing of applications more streamlined and quicker, eliminating the years-long, even decades-long wait. We know we need to match the needs for necessary workers in construction, nursing, elder care, child care, agriculture, etc., to the eager supply. We know we need to have companies stop hiring undocumented workers under the table. And of course we know we need to address the legal status of millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country. While solutions to all of the above needs are hard and complicated, they are not impossible to make progress on.
We also know that as long as conditions in the sending countries are dire, there will be migration. Addressing the conditions in other countries is less under our control. We pay lip service to addressing the root causes of migration. Biden allocated $4 billion to the Northern Triangle but anyone who travels to those Central American countries can see that long-term conditions of lack of jobs, poor governance, drug cartels, and climate change need more than $4 billion. I have visited the highlands of Guatemala each year for 17 years, and I can see that for every two steps forward, there are 1 ½ steps back, optimistically. But at times I do see communities where youth are getting vocational training and young men and women are advancing their education. When they see hope and opportunity, they have less reason to migrate. In a community where job opportunities are present, health care is affordable, and schools are functioning, I see few people leaving to migrate. But most communities do not have those conditions, or in enough concentration.
So where does that leave us? I wish that I would see more national politicians addressing the issue positively and working across the aisle to make incremental progress on the difficult but possible aspects of the broken system. I wish that business leaders spoke more forcefully about their needs and supported solutions. I am encouraged when I teach about immigration, as I have done each semester, that the attitudes of most students are open-minded and favorable towards migrants. But I wish that more voices and stronger voices discussed the need for immigrants and the great benefits our country has derived from immigrants. Each of us needs to raise our voices.
