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Messaging And Report Category: Messaging Memo

Talking Immigration and Economics

When addressing immigration in the current economic climate, it is clear that advocates need to support arguments with facts. It’s equally clear, however, that facts will only go so far. Research shows that people are often most motivated by their values – and if data don’t support their deeply held beliefs, audiences will reject them. So we need to shape conversations with values, and then support our arguments with the best data available. This memo sets forth some ideas about how to do this when it comes to opportunity and inclusion for immigrants.

A Core Narrative:

Workable solutions that uphold our values and help us move forward together

We recommend structuring messages under a shared narrative, developed in concert with immigration advocates from around the country in 2008. This framework is based on recent public opinion research, insight from media monitoring and analysis, and the experience of a range of advocates. We suggest framing both data and anecdotal evidence such as individual stories under the following broad themes:

  • Emphasize workable solutions: While immigration policy currently takes a backseat to anxieties about the economy, Americans generally agree that our immigration system needs fixing, and that it’s unrealistic to deport 12 million people. We need to promote solutions that appeal to this commonsense acknowledgment, and that emphasize that economic recovery requires the input and participation of everyone here.

In the current economic climate, arguments that show how immigration reform is not only workable, but beneficial to us all, can be particularly compelling. For instance:

When it comes to the economy, it’s clear that we’re all in this together. We desperately need everyone’s contributions to get us out of the mess we’re in. But our outdated immigration system stands in the way of allowing the full participation of everyone here. To address the economy, it’s clear that we need workable solutions to immigration that move us all forward together. Consider this: integration of undocumented would bring us $66 billion in additional tax revenue, compared to the costly figure of deportation estimated to be $202 billion, if deportation of 12 million immigrants were even possible.1 Add to that the additional brainpower and hard work that immigrants bring, and we’re headed in the right direction.

We need a workable solution to immigration issues. Too often, you’ll only hear people talking about enforcing current laws, or border security. But our current laws aren’t working. They make it nearly impossible for most undocumented immigrants to become legal and fully contribute to our society. And if we only concentrate on the border, we’ll only continue to waste money that we could better spend on strengthening our communities in these tough times. Case in point: between 1993 and 2005, we tripled our spending on border security. Since about 40 percent of undocumented workers entered the country legally, but overstayed their visas, emphasizing border security is not only costly, but also doesn’t get to the core of the problem.2

It’s also important to use public opinion polling data to bolster our arguments:

Americans want real solutions to immigration. Two-thirds consistently support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Americans of every political stripe recognize that fixing our broken system is in the country’s interest, and that these immigrants are already our co-workers, our neighbors, and frequently our family members.

  • Emphasize Values: Values are particularly persuasive when considering topics like due process and family reunification. Facts can help underscore what people already suspect or want to agree with because it aligns with their deeply-held values.

For generations, and today, America represents a promise of opportunity and immigrants continue to play a vital role in our communities, our culture and our economy. In fact, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity “forty-six in 10,000 immigrants started businesses in 2007, up from 37 in 10,000 in 2006 and compared to the overall rate of 30 per 10,000 adults. Immigrant-founded technology and engineering companies employed 450,000 workers in the U.S. and generated $52 billion in revenue in 2006.”3

We need to uphold our respect for due process, a fair hearing, and access to a lawyer that are core American principles that we have to support. But there is such a backlog in the immigration courts that almost 90,000 people have waited for at least two years for their case to be heard after being accused of being here without documentation.4

  • Encourage moving forward together: We should remind our audiences of shared values and common interests as well as solutions that expand opportunity for everyone—for example, combining an earned pathway to citizenship with enhanced civil rights enforcement, living wages, police accountability, and job training for communities experiencing job and financial insecurity.

Organized labor is among those who recognize the need for practical and just solutions to undocumented immigration. These groups realize that to protect American workers, uphold labor laws for all, and lift wages, we need to reform our immigration system. More than 7 million workers live in the shadows of a system that takes advantage of them because they are undocumented. All workers in the United States deserve labor law protections, minimum wage, health and safety laws, and humane treatment that is based on the law not on immigration status. 5

Immigrants – both documented and those without status – are already part of the fabric of our society. They are contributing members of our communities; they are our neighbors, classmates, coworkers and friends. We need to make sure they can participate fully in our society and contribute fully to our economy – through work, in school, for public safety. When this happens, we all benefit. For instance, over $400 billion will be put into the social security fund alone over the next 20 years by fully integrating immigrants into our society.6

Both immigrants and African Americans consistently list quality education and affordable health care among their highest priorities. Both groups’ kids suffer when we allow our urban schools and hospitals to flounder, and both benefit, along with our country, when we invest in strong schools and quality health care, as well as living wages and decent working conditions. In recent polling, African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos all listed affordable health care for seniors, affordable housing, education, and job creation and agreed that these were important for everyone here, citizens or not.7

Notes:

1. The Economics of Immigration Reform.  Immigration Policy Center (April, 2009).

2.  Amy Traub, Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen & Expand the American Middle Class, Drum Major Institute, 2007.

3. Robert W. Fairlie, Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, 1996-2007, April 2008.

4. Brad Heath, Immigration courts face huge backlog,” USA Today, March 29, 2009.

5. “Labor’s Support Strengthens Prospects for Immigration Reform,” Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles , Press statement (April, 2009).

6. The Economics of Immigration Reform. Immigration Policy Center (April, 2009).

7. Presentation of Findings from Focus Groups and a Survey Around Race, LCCR and Lake Research Partners, 2008

Moving Forward Together…

This memo sets forth themes and ideas on talking about immigration during the current economic downturn. While the challenges are great, there are also opportunities in talking to audiences who matter to us most, and who are most persuadable in this area. These include communities of color, low-wage workers, and progressives. Together, these groups comprise the support we need to ensure that local, state, and federal policies are realistic, effective, and uphold the values of fairness and opportunity. To inspire them we need messages that, in addition to speaking to fears about the economy, also build on the sense that we are all in this together, that we need to encourage a role for government in crafting solutions, and that immigrants have important contributions to make.

Immigrants have always had great contributions to make to our country and our economy, so it only makes sense that we include them as we address the economic downturn and our efforts toward recovery. We need to make sure that it’s possible for everyone to play a role in fixing the mess we’re in.

A Core Narrative:

Workable solutions that uphold our values and help us move forward together

We recommend structuring messages under a shared narrative, developed in concert with advocates from around the country in 2008.  This framework is based on recent public opinion research, insight from media monitoring and analysis, and the experience of a range of immigration advocates. It has also been well received in very early focus group testing.  This intelligence suggests the following principles for communications on immigration:

  • Emphasize workable solutions:  While immigration policy currently takes a backseat to anxieties about the economy, Americans generally agree that our immigration system needs fixing, and that it’s unrealistic to deport 12 million people. We need to continue to promote solutions that appeal to this commonsense acknowledgment, and that emphasize that economic recovery requires the input and participation of everyone here. It is also true that many of our key audiences do not realize or understand the barriers undocumented immigrants face in trying to become legal. Messages should emphasize that there are no workable solutions for many people already living and working here, and that those who are currently undocumented want to be here legally, but have limited or no options.
  • Infuse messages with values:  January’s inauguration helped to reignite Americans’ pride in core values like opportunity, community, equality, and shared responsibility. While invoking such values is not a silver bullet in messaging, research shows that the public reacts positively to values-based messages, and is motivated to protect the values they consider central to our country and our history. In the cases of due process and detention, research has found this approach to be particularly effective.
  • Encourage moving forward together:  The economic crisis gives anti-immigrant groups yet another opportunity to try to drive wedges between immigrants, African Americans, and low- wage workers. We should remind these audiences of shared values and common interests as well as solutions that expand opportunity for everyone—for example, combining an earned pathway to citizenship with enhanced civil rights enforcement, living wages, police accountability, and job training for communities experiencing job and financial insecurity.
  • Move from “Myth Busting” to documenting our story:  There are many myths and falsehoods about immigrants, especially undocumented workers, in the public discourse, and it is imperative that the truth be told. But research shows that a strategy of repeating and explicitly “busting” those myths generally serves to reinforce them in the public’s mind. We recommend instead using accurate facts affirmatively to support our own values-based story.
  • Know the opposing narrative:  Anti-immigrant spokespeople are consistent in their use of two dominant themes, regardless of their specific point: Law and Order (“What part of ‘illegal’ don’t you understand?”) and the Overwhelming of Scarce Resources (the notion that there are not enough jobs, health care or education to go around).

Talking Point Guidelines

The following bullets are examples of how to talk about immigration during tough economic times. It is understood, however, that the immigration movement has diverse audiences, regional needs, and challenges. We propose using the shared narrative as a general guide while focusing on the following themes, but using the wording, symbols, and stories that best suit your needs.

We need workable solutions that uphold our nation’s values and help us move forward together…

  • We need everyone’s help and know-how to repair our economy, improve education, and generate jobs. Immigrants have a stake in those systems—we are caregivers and health professionals, teachers and students—and we are a part of the solution.
  • Reactionary policies that force people into the shadows haven’t worked, and they are not consistent with our values. Those policies hurt all of us by encouraging exploitation and low- wage, under-the-table employment that depresses wages. We need policies that help immigrants contribute and participate fully in our society.
  • It’s clear that our economy and our trade and immigration policies are no longer working for anyone but a select few. Instead of scapegoating immigrants and terrorizing families and communities, we should make America work for all of us.
  • Currently, it’s almost impossible for many undocumented immigrants who have lived and worked here for years to become legal, in spite of their great desire to do so. A system that denies a whole subset of workers the rights and responsibilities the rest of us enjoy is not workable or fair – and it’s not helping to repair our fractured economy.
  • We need to protect all workers and law-abiding employers. Our immigration system needs to work for everyone, not just for those employers looking for low-cost labor. Part of the solution is recognizing that it would be far better if all immigrant workers were here legally and could exercise the same rights on the job as native-born workers. Equal rights strengthen the bargaining power of all workers.  The first step toward realizing this equality is ensuring that our system makes it possible for undocumented immigrant workers to become legal, which it currently does not.1
  • Our policies must recognize that we’re all in this together, with common human rights and responsibilities. If one group can be exploited, underpaid and prevented from becoming part of our society, our common humanity is threatened, and none of us truly enjoy the opportunity and rights that America stands for.

Immigration Reform

  • To bring stability, opportunity, and fairness to American workers, families, and communities, we need to enact common sense immigration reform. Congress and the President need to work together to get a handle on our immigration system and find solutions that help all workers fully participate in our economy.
  • We need to protect American taxpayers. We also need to fix our immigration system to move towards eliminating the underground economy it perpetuates. By legalizing the undocumented workforce, we will bring these workers out of the shadows and put more workers and employers on our tax rolls.2
  • Anti-immigrant extremists are preventing a legal immigration system that works and distracting us from addressing real challenges like rebuilding our economy.

African American Audiences:

  • The African American community has always been the conscience of our country when it comes to human rights and dignity. Keeping 12 million people in the shadows, without human rights and subject to exploitation, is not in the moral or economic interest of black people, or our nation, and we have to stand against it.
  • Immigrants and African Americans are increasingly part of the same neighborhoods and communities, and we need solutions that enable us to rise together with all Americans. We each consistently list quality education and affordable health care among our highest priorities.  All of our kids suffer when we allow our urban schools and hospitals to flounder, and we all benefit, along with our country, when we invest in strong schools and quality health care, as well as living wages, decent working conditions and freedom from discrimination.
  • The recent economic stimulus package has addressed some of the issues facing our communities, but we have to make sure that investment is spent in communities where it is needed most. We have a better chance at success in these areas if we come together to protect our most vulnerable communities, including communities of color, and immigrants.
  • These are tough times, but squabbling amongst ourselves will only hold all of us back. We need to work together for practical solutions that ensure opportunity and protect our human rights.

Notes:

1  From Talking Points from the National Immigration Forum, America’s Voice and the Immigration Policy Center.

2  From Talking Points developed by the National Immigration Forum, America’s Voice and the Immigration Policy Center

Expanding Opportunity for All: Racial Discrimination

This memo provides advice on talking with journalists and other general audiences about U.S. compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Opinion research shows that Americans embrace the concept of human rights at home as an important set of societal values. They also believe strongly that equal opportunity based on race and freedom from racial discrimination are fundamental human rights. At the same time, however, most Americans have no knowledge of the international system, have little faith in the United Nations, and are wary of international treaties as a potential threat to U.S. sovereignty. Many also question whether racial discrimination is a serious problem today, and may be uncomfortable talking about race. These concerns can sometimes prevent audiences from hearing messages about race and human rights with which they might otherwise agree.

To overcome these barriers, we recommend that communications about race and human rights:

  • Lead with shared values of Opportunity and Equality;
  • Provide ample evidence of discrimination and inequality in practical terms;
  • Always include solutions, and explain that addressing racial discrimination creates a better country for all of us;
  • Focus on systemic problems and examples of racial bias, rather than individual bigotry;
  • Avoid jargon, discussing the treaty in simple terms and emphasizing US participation and agreement.

The Values: Opportunity and Equality.

Opportunity is the deeply held American value that everyone deserves a fair chance to reach his or her full potential. Rooted in this value is Equality, the notion that access to the benefits, responsibilities, and burdens of our society should not depend on what we look like or where we come from. Equal Opportunity does not mean treating people identically, but treating them as equals—with fairness and dignity. Opinion research shows broad agreement with those principles.

The Message: We can and must do better.

One way to stay “on message” is to communicate in terms of Value, Problem, Solution, and Action:

  • The color of your skin shouldn’t affect the opportunity that you have in our society. That’s a basic American belief, and it’s recognized at home and abroad as a fundamental human right.
  • But, despite the progress we’ve made as a nation, racial bias and discrimination continue to deny opportunity to millions of Americans.
    • For example, a study by Princeton University showed that Black and Latino job applicants in New York City are much less likely to be called back for a job than are white applicants with the same qualifications—in fact white applicants with a criminal record had a better chance of a call-back than black applicants with no criminal record.
  • The Convention Against Racial Discrimination is part of America’s promise to protect equal opportunity for everyone, and experts around the country have found that’s just not happening today. But we can and must do better.
  • We’re calling, for example, on New York’s Human Rights Commission to step up investigation of employment discrimination, to take enforcement action where laws are broken, and to assist employers who want to do the right thing. That will help create a more just and prosperous city for all New Yorkers, and can become a model for the nation.

We recommend using terms like the “Convention Against Racial Discrimination” rather than “CERD,” which most audiences will not understand, and explaining the convention process in terms of America’s promise to our nation and the world:

  • Americans overwhelmingly believe in equal opportunity; in a recent survey 85% percent of Americans said that equal treatment regardless of race is a human right. The U.S. signed and ratified the Convention Against Discrimination along with almost every other country in the world to protect that human right.
  • This year, it’s the United States’ turn to report to Americans and the world what it’s doing to protect against racial discrimination here at home. But the Bush Administration’s report is misleading and incomplete—the picture it paints for the world doesn’t mention the significant discrimination and inequality that the U.S. has failed to address.
    • For example, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that African- American, Latino, and Asian-American homeseekers continue to face significant housing discrimination around the country—and that’s bad for all of us. HUD found white renters were consistently favored over blacks 21% of the time. And non-Hispanic whites were favored over Hispanics 25% of the time. In sales, whites were favored over blacks 17% of the time; and non-Hispanic whites were favored over Hispanics 19% of the time.
    • Research also shows that communities of color are more likely to face predatory subprime loans, even when their income level is the same as white communities.
    • Yet the current Administration has reduced its efforts to enforce racial anti-discrimination laws.
  • One way to keep tabs on our government’s efforts is to track its progress under the treaty. So independent U.S. experts prepare a report to the U.N. that examines that progress, and describes where the government’s falling short. It’s called a “shadow report” because it provides a reality check on the official government story from independent experts.
  • This year’s shadow report also recommends concrete solutions, like updating our nation’s human rights laws to prevent subtle racial bias from seeping into our healthcare system and criminal justice system—which research shows is happening now. Cities, states, and our federal government have to step up their investigation and enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, education, voting, and other pathways to opportunity.
The Opportunity Agenda
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