Transforming the Immigration Narrative
“Our immigration system is broken.” It’s a sentiment that abounds at all intervals of the political spectrum. Although people emphasize different wrong things – people on the right tend to look at illegal immigration and unauthorized employment; people on the left tend to look at the inability of some non-US citizens to obtain legal status – everyone seems to agree, we have a problem.
The solution varies, based on the emphasized wrong thing. Those who see illegal immigration as the core of the issue generally recommend stricter border controls or closing the border, enhancing interior enforcement and stricter penalties for unauthorized entry to the country. Those who see the inability of some people who have been in the country for years to obtain legal status generally favor an amnesty or legalization program, selective interior enforcement and more inclusive immigration laws. Like other fiercely debated issues, fear seems to drive a lot of the discourse – fear of losing the importance of what it means to be an American and fear of losing family members and friends.
But is the system truly broken? Does it need to be fixed? Here are some stories that generally don’t garner headlines:
Every year tens of millions of people who are not US citizens visit the United States, complete what they came for, and go home. Visitors are an important part of our national economy and cultural life. Imagine a world in which the US suddenly said, “please stop visiting us,” and the consequences of that action.
Every year around one million people from every area in the world become lawful permanent residents (they obtain green cards). Most of these people immigrate to the United States based on a family or work relationship and were petitioned for by their family member or employer. They add to our society in a myriad of ways. Does the United States want to stop US citizens and businesses from petitioning for family members and workers?
Every year the United States provides safe haven for tens of thousands of people who are fleeing persecution, torture and violence in their home countries. The United States is seen throughout the world as a place where human rights, democracy and the rule of law are not only honored but valued and cherished. The fact that tens of thousands of people every year seek protection within our borders is an honor and one we as a nation should continue to work to deserve.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people become US citizens through the naturalization process. Like so many of our ancestors, our newest citizens left their old homes and found a new home in our country. What would our country be without the new ideas, energy and courage of immigrants who have chosen to pledge their permanent allegiance to our nation?
Headlines generally focus on other statistics — the hundreds of thousands of non-US citizens who are taken into custody by immigration enforcement agents, found to be inadmissible at ports of entry and who are removed from the United States. These are compelling numbers, but are generally taken outside the context of immigration as a whole. And on the whole, more people enter legally, stay legally and leave when they are supposed to than don’t.
So, in the end, “our immigration system is broken,” is not entirely accurate. A more honest tag line is, “Immigration: not perfect, but not as bad as everyone says.” And that’s pretty good.
Further Reading
“2012 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics” DHS Office of Immigration Statistics
