Yes, the current immigration bill is dead, for the time being, but we'd still like to take a quick look at they way some of our allies have been framing the issue. There are lessons to be learned that can make us more effective advocates for comprehensive reform next time a bill is introduced.
An article at the Huffington Post by the always thoughtful and incisive Barabara Ehrenreich provides a case in point as to how some tried and true progressive frames might need to be rethought in the case of immigration reform. Ehrenreich's piece is as witty as usual, and focuses on her typical, economics based argument for progressive reform. In it, she argues:
The only question is how much we owe our undocumented
immigrant workers. First, those who do not remain to enjoy the benefits
of old age in America will have to be reimbursed for their
contributions to Medicare and Social Security, and here I quote the
website of the San Diego ACLU:Undocumented
immigrants annually pay an estimated $7 billion more than they take out
into Social Security, and $1.5 billion more into Medicare ... a study
by the National Academy of Sciences also found that tax payments
generated by immigrants outweighed any costs associated with services
used by immigrants.Second, someone is going to have
to calculate what is owed to "illegals" for wages withheld by
unscrupulous employers: The homeowner who tells his or her domestic
worker that the wage is actually several hundred dollars a month less
than she had been promised, and that the homeowner will be "holding" it
for her. Or the landscaping service that stiffs its undocumented
workers for their labor. Who's the "illegal" here?
Ehrenreich's points (only partially listed here) are dead on, but her framework is divisive, pitting "Americans" against "Illegals." Her suggestions - that it is we who owe undocumented workers a debt for all that they do - while accurate, is alienating to the very people whose support the immigrants rights community needs to secure in order to achieve positive comprehensive reform. This us vs. them, transactional (financial) frame implies that indirectly feeds into anti-immigrant ideas of undocumented workers as a burden to society, and reinforces wedges that anti-immigration groups are attempting to drive between progressive communities, namely African Americans and Immigrants, who share many of the same concerns and problems.
Rather than employ witty rhetoric that promotes the conservative (transactional) frame, progressives should deploy a frame that acknowledges the positive contributions that immigrants make to our society, draws on the history of America as the land of opportunity, and illustrates how, by helping immigrants find a pathway to citizenship, we can all rise together - economically or otherwise.
Here are some sample messages illustrating what that looks like:
- We need to move from our broken immigration system to one that is orderly,
workable, and consistent with our nation’s values. We can do that by allowing
immigrants who work, pay taxes, and learn English to earn a pathway to
citizenship. Those steps, along with reforms like increased civil rights
enforcement and sanctions for employers that exploit workers will raise wages
and expand economic opportunity for everyone. - Immigrants are part of the fabric of our
society—they are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends. Reactionary
policies that force them into the shadows haven’t worked, and are not consistent
with our values. Those policies hurt all of us by encouraging exploitation by
unscrupulous employers and landlords. We support policies that help immigrants
contribute and participate fully in our society. - Immigrants and African Americans have a
shared interest in fair working conditions, laws against discrimination, and
quality schools that prepare our kids for a diverse country and world. Our
communities are increasingly coming together to press for those
policies.
The current immigration bill may be dead, but before long this issue will rise again. When it does, let's be prepared to talk about it in a way that builds bridges and helps create a coalition strong enough to push through comprehensive reform that treats immigrants fairly and is consistent with our national values.
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