A Haitian father carries his children across the Rio Grande into Del Rio, Texas on September 23, 2021, from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. | John Moore/Getty Images
Immigration, once again, is a hot-button topic in the election, but the contours of the debate have changed.
Immigration reform has eluded the U.S. for decades with the last piece of major immigration legislation signed into law under President Ronald Reagan in 1986. With 2023 seeing both a record number of people apprehended at the southern border and the largest number of pending immigration cases on record, calls for Congress to take action on the southern border have been frequent, but unfruitful.
In most races in 2024, conservative issues of border security and undocumented immigrants and crime have dominated the debate rather than more progressive causes, like protecting programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and CEO of Lansing-based Grassroots Midwest, said Democrats in competitive races are moving toward the political center as a result of voter demands, like you would see on any other issue in elections.
“It’s pretty clear that there are a lot of Americans that are concerned about the immigration issue, and in particular, concerned about border security,” Hemond said.
According to a recent poll from Gallup, immigration ranked as the fifth most important issue for American voters, with 41% saying it would be “extremely important” in determining their vote for president. When split by party, immigration ranked as the second most important to Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, but did not rank among the top five issues most important to Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters.
In a poll conducted by Ipsos and Scripps News in September, 69% of respondents said they would support restrictions on the number of migrants who can claim asylum. And 68% also supported a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, while 54% said they would support mass deportation.
Presidential election
Immigration has been a dominant issue at the top of the ticket this year, with both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris running ads that they’ll get tough on securing the border.
Since his first campaign in 2016, Trump has leaned on immigration as a central issue for his campaigns, repeatedly degrading undocumented immigrants.
This year, he has promised to execute a mass deportation operation through invoking the Alien Enemies Act, reshuffling law enforcement personnel at federal agencies, transferring funds between programs in the Department of Homeland Security, and encouraging greater enforcement of immigration laws.
According to an estimate from the Center for Migration Studies, there were 11.7 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. as of July 2023, below the peak of 12 million individuals reached in 2008. The United States has also provided temporary protected status to 863,880 individuals from 16 countries, whose status could be threatened by a second Trump presidency with Trump vowing to end protections for immigrants from Haiti amid his strident criticism of those settling in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump has also called for a return to policies implemented under his administration including his remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to remain outside the country as their cases are pending review.
With U.S. Border Patrol reporting a 249,741 encounters with migrants in December 2023, the most ever recorded in a single month, Republicans have taken aim at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, calling for stronger action to limit crossings at the southern border.
While the Pew Research Center reports the monthly number of border patrol encounters with migrants has sharply decreased, with 58,038 encounters in August, concerns about immigration persist among voters, with a survey from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs finding half of Americans view large numbers of immigrants and refugees entering the country as a critical threat.
Amid criticism from the other side of the aisle, Harris has taken a harder line on undocumented immigration, pointing to Harris’s past efforts as a prosecutor cracking down on transnational gangs by expanding the state’s task force devoted to cross-border criminality and sharing intelligence with Mexican authorities.
Harris has also called for the revival of the U.S. Senate’s now-defunct bipartisan border deal that Trump helped quash, pledging to sign it should it come across her desk as president.
According to a statement from the White House, the deal would have added add more than 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel to staff, brought on an additional 4,300 Asylum Officers to conduct initial screenings, increased detention beds from 40,000 to 50,000, offer funds to hire 100 additional immigration judges and staffers and cover the cost of 100 new inspection machines to help detect fentanyl at the southwest border.
Harris has also called for reform to the current immigration system, including an earned pathway to citizenship for individuals, including farmworkers and DACA recipients.
Down-ballot races
Immigration has also been at the forefront of congressional and state legislative races across the country, as several Republicans have made trips to the southern border. And even traditionally pro-immigration Democrats are calling for action on border security in 2024.
Jason Roe is a Republican strategist for GOP former state Sen. Tom Barrett’s campaign for mid-Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and is also assisting with Michigan Republicans’ bid to take back the state House. Roe said immigration is a top three message for Republicans, despite losing some potency in recent months.
“A few months ago, you had images of masses of people at the southern border trying to get into the country, and you reached a point where it had gotten beyond the conservative media platforms into the mainstream media,” Roe said.
“It has changed because the Biden administration implemented new policies that haven’t really reduced the flow of people into the country. It has changed how they enter the country and gone from what is technically illegal into a, I would say, quasi-legal path to entry,” Roe said.
While Barrett’s opponent, former State Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing), has not made immigration a central issue, he has still sought to sway voters with concerns about border security. In one of Hertel’s digital ads, he criticizes Democrats and promises to strengthen the border.
The ad cites a letter Hertel sent to Biden, asking him to use his executive authority to “bring order to the Southern border and address our dysfunctional immigration system.”
Following a breakdown of efforts in the U.S. Senate to pass a bipartisan border deal, the Biden administration took executive action in June capping the number of migrants entering the U.S. in response to the largest number of migrant encounters seen at the border in 20 years. Under this executive order, when daily unauthorized border crossings reach 2,500 migrants, noncitizens who cross the border will be ineligible for asylum.
Additionally, any noncitizen who enters the border while this order is in effect and is processed for removal will only be referred to an asylum officer for a credible fear interview “if they manifest or express a fear of return to their country or country of removal, a fear of persecution or torture, or an intention to apply for asylum,” States Newsroom reported, with the Biden administration increasing the standard for these interviews.
What do voters want?
Both Hemond and Roe pointed to economics driving voter support for action on border security, with Hemond noting concerns about competition within the labor market, and Roe highlighting fears that migrants are benefitting from federal programs as citizens struggle with the cost of living.
“When you hear stories, whether true or exaggerated, about people coming into the country illegally and being provided with housing or food stamps or any government funded [support]. And then these people are struggling, and they’re looking around saying, ‘Wait, why are we doing this?’” Roe said.
Susan Reed, an attorney and director of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center told the Advance that non-citizens face major restrictions on accessing federally-funded benefits, with particularly strong restrictions on undocumented individuals and those on temporary visas. Even most lawful permanent residents need to wait five years before they can access programs like food stamps, cash assistance and Medicaid, Reed said.
However, often needs arise and governments will create smaller programs to address specific needs, Reed said. While these programs are fairly small in scope and scale, they often receive a lot of negative attention.
Earlier this year, Michigan Republicans repeatedly criticized Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Newcomer Rental Subsidy program — which provides “Refugees and other Newcomer population-eligible households with rental assistance up to $500 per month for up to 12 months, with eligibility based on immigration status and household income” — arguing it would encourage undocumented immigration within the state.
Frustrations with these kinds of programs could be contributing to Republican improvements among Black voters who would rather see those dollars put toward improvements in their community, Roe said, pointing to similar concerns around U.S. aid to Ukraine amid the ongoing war in Russia.
“I think that is part of the calculus right now, is a lot of the immigration and foreign entanglements that are taking our money and giving it to other places other than Americans,” Roe said.
Roe also pointed to recent polling on mass deportation, saying it illustrates increased frustration among American voters.
“Other immigration questions are kind of easy. This one, I think, shows an intensity where the voters are turning against the immigrants,” Roe said.
While there’s a degree of sympathy to people seeking a better life, voters are reaching their breaking point, Roe said.
However, Hemond noted while the majority of Michigan voters support efforts to secure the southern border, a majority similarly oppose mass deportation efforts.
“There is a median position that is optimal there that’s not actually very close to either of the sort of bookends on this issue,” Hemond said.
According to a survey conducted by the University of Maryland Program for Public Consultation 50% of Republican voters and 77% of Democrats surveyed expressed support for creating a new type of visa for immigrants without legal status, as opposed to undertaking mass deportation efforts. A bipartisan majority of voters also expressed support for requiring employers to verify a new hire’s citizenship using the E-Verify system, while expanding permits for migrant workers.
In a previous interview with the Advance, the program’s director, Steven Kull said voters’ answers showed frustration with the number of border crossings, but also showed support for a framework for migrants to assimilate legally as opposed to taking a stance for or against immigration.
However, politicians remain divided for the moment, as Democrats continue to fault Republicans for the failure of the Senate’s bipartisan border bill, accusing Trump of killing the legislation.
While Harris has done a good job of pinning the failed deal on Trump, and Republicans, Democrats still face some difficulty, Hemond said.
“The Biden-Harris administration has been in office for almost four years now, and it’s pretty clear that they probably could have done more to tighten up border security during that time, because they have started getting more active about doing so in the last year,” Hemond said. “But I do think it’s super helpful for Democrats to point out that, look, ultimately, this is a problem that requires congressional action, and Congress declined to act because Donald Trump told them not to.”
Navigating criticism on the border deal has been clunky for Republicans, Roe said.
“When it all happened, I felt like Republicans put themselves in a very bad negotiating position by rejecting something that had the appearance of being bipartisan and having some teeth to it,” Roe said.
While he conceded he had not gotten deep into the policy on the bill, through conversations about the objections to the bill, Roe has personally chalked it up to political posture with some legitimate policy differences.
However, for voters concerned about immigration issues, Roe said Republicans are still dominant, sharing an anecdote from working with the Barrett campaign.
“Because of campaign finance laws, we can’t coordinate directly with the [National Republican Congressional Committee’s] independent expenditures or the Congressional Leadership Fund, or any of that, right? So before the law prevents us from talking, we do a big meeting where you know me as the campaign strategist, lay out what our campaign strategy is, how we’re going to advertise, what we think our messaging is going to be, etc., etc.,” Roe said.
“In this meeting, there was, I would say the biggest point of disagreement is they wanted us, Barrett, to go all in on immigration. And I said, ‘No, that’s not smart.’ And I said the reason is anyone that votes on immigration already knows the Republican is the person. Like, I’m going to spend money to tell people what they, by default, already know means I’m not talking about an issue that can persuade those swing voters or undecideds,” Roe said.
As far as the impact on statewide races, Roe said voters tend to look for a virtue signal on the left or the right to determine if someone is their kind of candidate.
And immigration is one of those issues.
Advocates worry about the toll on immigrants
While politicians and candidates continue to bicker over how to best approach immigration policy, advocates are raising concerns about the impact these discussions are having on immigrants.
During periods of high uncertainty, including periods of war, economic disruption and times of high immigration, white Christian nationalist ideology and messaging tends to spike, said Joseph Fleming, the federation director of Faith in Action, a national collective of religious congregations organizing against hatred, racism and injustice.
There is a clear connection between anti-immigrant rhetoric that has been circulating and white Christian nationalist ideology, Fleming said, defining it as “an ideology that promotes white supremacy and Christian dominance, and it’s rooted in a belief, a mistaken belief, that the United States was founded as a Christian nation … with a special role to play in God’s plan for the salvation of the world from a Christian perspective.”
This ideology is also rooted in a hierarchy of human value, Fleming explained, which is the belief that some people are more worthy than others in the eyes of God.
This hierarchy and the emphasis on defining the U.S. as a Christian nation has painted a target on a number of different groups of people, Fleming said, including Black folks, immigrants, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and LGBTQ+ communities.
“There are real-life consequences to the rhetoric, and it encourages, we’re concerned that it’s going to encourage people to kind of lash out,” Fleming said, pointing to concerns among the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, whom Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) have falsely accused of eating their neighbors’ pets and spreading diseases in addition to incorrectly labeling them as “illegal aliens.”
White Christian nationalist messages are aimed at dehumanizing groups of people, communicating that they are not like us and represent a threat, Fleming said, noting this rhetoric not only sows the seeds for violence, but mobilizes believers to vote, while suppressing voting among immigrant communities and intimidating them.
“We see that happening in places like Springfield, Ohio; Charleroi, Penn. I’m sure it’s happening in Michigan, as well,” Fleming said.
According to the American Immigration Council, there are 359,661 eligible immigrant voters in Michigan.
Additionally, it’s not just Republicans pushing these kinds of messages, Fleming said, noting that negative ideas about immigrants have gained traction on both sides of the aisle.
“Instead of pushing back on a message that dehumanizes and presents folks as a threat, too often, there is a willingness to say, ‘We have to accept that message and present ourselves as ‘tough,’” Fleming said.
Reed noted the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric had created concerns among those seeking citizenship in the U.S.
“People are very concerned. The process is already very confusing, very complicated. Waits are very long, and then that reduces confidence in the system. And when statements are being made about broad, sweeping deportation or broad, sweeping negative consequences for folks. It puts people on edge,” Reed said. “It makes people feel very uncertain about their future. It makes people hesitant to move forward with a wide range of things they might be entitled to, or even immigration programs themselves.”
She also noted that most undocumented immigrants are not eligible for any sort of programs and citizenship or program, even if they have had residency in the U.S. for a long time or are married to citizens.
“Overwhelmingly, I think [there’s a] mismatch between a widespread assumption that people could be applying for something, or could be applying for citizenship, and are somehow choosing not to, and just the overwhelming pain in these communities that people are desperate to move forward with applications to move forward with a process, and there is no process available to them,” Reed said.
“Right now, the system really does not function in a way that works well for anyone, and we need an immigration system that’s fair and equitable and treats people with dignity and compassion. And we think that’s what most people want. And yet we continue to move further and further from that kind of system, rather than closer to it,” Reed said.
Reed also noted that DACA recipients are particularly vulnerable, as the program is facing threats in court as an ongoing case brought by the state of Texas freezing applications.
These individuals have now had more than a decade of time with work authorization, and are deeply integrated into the nation as parents and family members and continuing to ignore their need for a permanent solution has had a profound effect, Reed said.
She also warned about the impacts that harsh immigration policies would have on those who are the spouses or parents of U.S. citizens.
“I think in the sort of false, good immigrants, bad immigrants, mental sorting people think, ‘Well, you’re fine if you have a child or you’re a spouse.’ Not true,” Reed said.
According to the Center for Migration Studies (CMS), 5.8 million US households are home to at least one undocumented resident, with 4.7 million of those households serving as a home for both undocumented residents and U.S. citizens or individuals with legal status with CMS warning a mass deportation policy could break up 5 million families.
It also reported 5.5 million U.S.-born children live in households with at least one undocumented resident, including 1.8 million living in households with two undocumented parents, with CMS estimating the cost to complete their upbringing after mass deportation to be at least $116.5 billion.
Frustration with both parties
Gema Lowe, an organizer with Movimiento Cosecha Michigan, an organization advocating for permanent protections for undocumented immigrants, said undocumented immigration has been used by politicians to either say incorrect things about immigrants or blame them for issues within the United States.
“We do feel the rhetoric that is dehumanizing us. … It’s not just one party or the other, but we feel like there’s two sides to the same coin,” said Lowe, who is undocumented and has lived in the U.S. for the last 30 years.
“Usually I’m very outspoken about, you know, what they call the immigration system is broken, it’s not really broken. It’s what it’s supposed to be doing,” Lowe said, telling the Advance it has been keeping undocumented workers in the shadows for cheap labor.
As the election has fed anti-immigrant rhetoric, Lowe pointed to a recent resolution passed by the Livingston County Board of Commissioners asking the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department to begin monitoring its interactions with undocumented immigrants, regardless of the nature of the interaction.
In its text the resolution states: “Whereas, citizens continue to express concerns about illegal immigration and its associated increase in crime, and whereas, ignoring these concerns, Border Czar Kamala Harris has permitted millions of illegal immigrants to cross our borders, and whereas, though largely denied and underreported by major media organizations, these illegal immigrants have contributed to an increase in crime.”
“I believe it was a result of the candidates’ rhetoric for attacks on undocumented immigrants,” Lowe said.
Throughout the election cycle, Trump and his allies have repeatedly stoked concerns of “migrant crime,” amplifying stories in which undocumented immigrants are suspects in an effort to tie undocumented immigration to crime.
However, a number of Trump’s claims about immigrants committing crimes in communities throughout America have been debunked. Additionally, multiple studies have found that noncitizens are less likely to be convicted than those born in the U.S. including a study published in July by the National Bureau of Economic Research which found that between 1870 and 2020 immigrants had lower rates of incarceration than those born in the U.S. Today immigrants are 60% less likely to have been incarcerated than those born in the U.S.
A 2019 report from the Marshall Project found no link between undocumented immigrants and crime. Another report published earlier this year examined policing data in cities that received a significant number of migrants from Texas since 2022 including New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver. In its analysis, the Marshall Project found no link between policing data and an influx in migrants, with these cities largely following national trends for large cities.
Lowe also pointed to the impacts undocumented workers have on the economy, working jobs that native born workers don’t want including jobs in agriculture and the dairy industry.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 39% of wage and salary workers in agriculture were born outside of the United States, while 31% of workers did not have U.S. citizenship.
A report from the American Immigration Council also found that undocumented immigrants paid $368 million in taxes in the state of Michigan.
“We contribute to the economy, into the culture, into the food of everyday Americans, positively. And there’s a myth of mass deportation, which is just also like a myth, because getting rid of the workforce that is sustaining all the bottom jobs that nobody wants is just a fantasy,” Lowe said.
Lowe similarly called promises of mass deportation “a fantasy for politicians to gain votes with racial hate,” questioning the feasibility of the proposal.
Regardless of which candidate wins, Lowe said undocumented immigrants will continue to organize and fight for their rights in the state.
“We already go to work, we already pay taxes, we already have our roots and our families here in Michigan, and, you know, contribute to the fabric of America in every way possible, positively. And so we want to see a more permanent solution to the undocumented population.” Lowe said.
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