President Biden is Winning on Immigration
CAMPAIGN CATCH UP
This month, President Biden announced new executive actions that both address border security and provide pathways to citizenship for long-settled undocumented immigrant communities in the U.S., including Dreamers and spouses of U.S. citizens. His latest action is not only a momentous step forward for the hundreds of thousands of American families it will keep together, but it’s also overwhelmingly popular with the public– recent polling found 73% of battleground voters and 78% of Hispanic battleground voters demonstrating support the action.
By offering a legal pathway to undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens, more than 1.4 million American families will be able to remain together. These actions build upon the Biden-Harris administration's existing improvements to the immigration system and represent the balanced approach that voters want to see on the issue. Up against the ugly vision that Donald Trump is hoping to sell to the American public this fall, including plans to separate families and deport immigrants en masse, President Biden is offering an alternative approach that centers families, security, stability, and safety for all. That’s good policy and good politics.
Read the Hub’s statement here.
DATA DISINFORMATION
In a latest analysis conducted through AdImpact, the Hub found that since January 2024 more than $66 million dollars have been spent on television ads focused on immigration – a majority of which have been paid for by GOP and right-wing candidates and groups. In May 2024, over $17,777,441 million was spent on 94 immigrant TV ads in federal, state, and down ballot races across elevan battleground states (AZ, FL, GA, MT, NC, NV, OH, PA, TX, VA, WI). This uptick in spending represents a 96% increase since April 2024. Most of these ads were deployed in Texas. Read the full reports for April and May.
Not surprisingly, the majority of ads mentione “border” (82 times) or employed key right-wing buzzwords, including “crime” (33 times), and “wall” (8 times). The overall use of these words has seen a 108% increase since April 2024, creating a negative correlation with immigration that rings clear and consistent.
MESSAGING FOR THE MOMENT
This week in Arizona, Vice President Kamala Harris made a compelling case for President Biden’s balanced approach to immigration, which is centered on keeping American families together and ensuring safety and security at the border. Not only did she highlight the administration’s unprecedented track record on the issue, she also drew contrast against President Trump’s extremist agenda–which would aim to revive his infamous family separation policy and see the mass deportation of millions of Dreamers and hardworking immigrants in the U.S.
The Vice President outlined the Biden-Harris administration’s recent executive action providing long overdue pathways to citizenship for long-settled immigrants like undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and Dreamers. The same polling indicating overwhelming support (73%) for the action among battleground voters also shows them largely rejecting the cruel and violent policies put forth by Donald Trump and other GOP extremists.
Harris went on to recognize the value that immigrants contribute to U.S. communities every day and emphasized the need to continue meeting voters’ desire for, as Democratic strategist Maria Cardona puts it, a “commonsense, balanced approach” to immigration.
POLICY PRIORITIES
So what’s the new Biden-Harris policy that will help Dreamers all about? President Biden has announced a groundbreaking initiative to expedite work visas for Dreamers with college degrees, aiming to reform the existing nonimmigrant visa process which requires individuals to leave the U.S. and face extreme wait times that stretch months or even years. The new policy promises a streamlined process, enabling quicker approvals and faster integration into the workforce. With 49% of DACA recipients having received some form of college education, this policy is set to significantly offset unemployment rates in labor intensive industries.
📸 Follow along as we share some of our more recent moments and highlights from our social media channels.
1️⃣ President Biden’s Executive Action to Protect DACA recipients: Last week, The Immigration Hub's own Daishi Miguel-Tanaka, a proud DACA recipient, was invited to the White House as President Biden announced an executive action granting legal status and protections to about half a million families
2️⃣ Meet Monica Barrera, Hub’s Chief Managing Officer, who drives strategic organizational planning and leadership development. Formerly the Director of Strategic Partnerships, she built alliances to support pro-immigrant policies.
3️⃣ Over the past 12 years, DACA recipients have become integral members of our communities, excelling as educators, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and more. However, the future of DACA remains uncertain. As we commemorate this significant milestone, it’s crucial to advocate for a permanent solution to protect these vital contributors to our economy and culture.
4️⃣ Thousands of undocumented students are being left behind because DACA protections are outdated. Nearly 80% of the 120,000 undocumented high school graduates in 2023 don’t qualify since DACA hasn’t been updated since 2007. This creates major barriers to education and jobs for these young people. Join us in urging Congress to act now and protect the dreams of millions.
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