10 MAY 2022

ICYMI: Sergio Gonzales Joins MSNBC to Outline How Democrats Can Win the Immigration Debate

WASHINGTON, DC - Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub, joined MSNBC’s American Voices this weekend to discuss how Democrats need to message on Title 42 and the border ahead of midterms. A recent Immigration Hub poll shows that Democrats are losing ground on immigration by allowing Republicans to dominate most of the debate. But Democrats can still turn the debate around by communicating popular, balanced solutions that motivate a crucial segment of voters who consider immigration a major issue — mostly swing, Democratic base and Latino voters. Gonzales detailed exactly how Democratic candidates can win back these voters.

To listen to the interview, click here.

Sergio Gonzales said, in part, “One of the problems that we have had so far during the Biden administration is that Democrats have done a really poor job in communicating what is happening at the border and how they are going to fix it. How they’re going to build a fair and humane and functional immmigration system. People support policies that are fair and humane. They support the right of refugees to have a process to apply for asylum. They support improving and expanding legal immigration. They support a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farmworkers, essential workers and undocumented immigrants by very large margins, but they also want to know that our border is well managed and that it is secure. And Democrats have not been doing a good job about articulating how they are going to do that. 

Gonzales continued: “The president released a 20-page memo recently outlining the steps that he is going to take to make sure that we have a well managed border that also honors the right enshrined in domestic and international law for asylum seekers to apply for asylum. And Democrats need to be talking about that plan with the American voters because we know– no matter what this administration does, no matter what Democrats do– Republicans will attack them on the issue of immigration. They will lie to voters. They will try to scare voters. And we need to move past that if Democrats are going to be successful on this issue ahead of the midterms.”

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.