14 NOV 2022
Mark Kelly and Ballot Initiative Wins Send Definitive Signal: Time to Deliver Protections for Dreamers
Despite Enormous Spending on Anti-Immigrant Attacks, Voters Rejected Extremism; Latino Voters Proved Critical to Kelly’s Victory and passage of in state tuition for Dreamers.
WASHINGTON, DC – In an election cycle in which Republicans spent millions attacking Democrats on immigration and Blake Masters echoed the same extreme and anti-immigrant GOP talking points and falsehoods on the border, Senator Mark Kelly successfully blunted and countered those attacks by doubling down on his support for an immigration system that treats people “fairly and humanely” including citizenship for Dreamers and hard-working immigrants.
Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub, stated: “The message from voters in Arizona is loud and clear: they reject GOP extremism and fear mongering; they support smart policy solutions that protect and expand opportunity for Dreamers who are American in all but paperwork and better manage the border; and they want undocumented students who grew up in Arizona to attend Arizona public universities on the same basis as their classmates and neighbors.
“In the run up to the election, Republicans and too many pundits predicted that concern about immigration and the border combined with a predicted decline in Latino support would power the GOP to big wins in Arizona. Just the opposite happened. Arizona’s Latino voters showed up and voted by huge margins for Democrats.
“Now it’s time for Congress to say yes. In the upcoming lame duck session in Congress, we need our elected leaders to pass a bipartisan bill that provides permanent protections to Dreamers. As the conservative courts prepare to end DACA, it’s now or never. The people of Arizona have stood up to be counted. It’s time for Congress to do the same.”
Arizona Once Again Rejected Extremism
Arizona quickly became ground zero for the nation’s immigration debate following the passage of the state’s Senate Bill 1070 (S.B. 1070)— Republican led legislation that required immigrants to carry papers to prove their legal status and legalized racial and ethnic profiling. The backlash led to a successful grassroots movement that mobilized Latino voters and turned the state blue. In 2016, anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio was ousted. In 2018, Kyrsten Sinema won the state’s first Democratic senate election in decades, and in 2020, it helped power the victories of President Biden and Mark Kelly.
Despite Arizona’s history with extreme policies against immigrants, the Masters campaign employed the Stephen Miller playbook, attacking Senator Mark Kelly on immigration. From billboards to TV ads, the GOP candidate used xenophobic and vile imagery depicting “open borders” and migrant “invasions”. The Immigration Hub tested a Citizens for Sanity ad used against Kelly, and found that the message created a backlash effect with critical voters.
“If I were the Republican Party, I’d think twice about continuing on this path of weaponizing the border and demonizing immigrants,” stated Beatriz Lopez, Chief Political and Communications Officer for the Immigration Hub. “Each and every time we survey voters, including the Arizona electorate, on what they think about the GOP’s egregious approach and depiction of immigrants and the border, we find that most Americans just don’t agree with them. It’s simple - they believe immigrants are good for their community; they believe in solutions that allow Dreamers and hard-working immigrants thrive in lockstep with their communities; and they believe we can have a safe and orderly border that doesn’t separate families and helps build a healthy economy. And that’s why the majority of Arizona voters weren’t convinced by Blake Masters.”
Kelly’s Clear Contrast to Master’s Extremism: Pathway to Citizenship, Smart Border Management, and In-State Tuition for Dreamers
While it’s plausible that many other candidates would have run from Masters’ slate of far-right, white nationalist conspiracy theories, Senator Kelly tackled it head on, calling for a path to citizenship for Dreamers, introducing legislation to ensure that the border is prepared to process increases in a humane manner, and recognizing the contributions of immigrant communities. Notably, Mark Kelly spent more money on immigration ads than any single Democratic candidate to counter the attacks.
A national poll of over 12,000 voters found that voters across all racial and ethnic groups, especially Latino voters (82%), including 83% of Arizona Latinos, want Congress to take up protections for Dreamers in the lame duck. By more than a 2-to-1 margin, (68% to 32%) voters say they support Congress taking immediate action to provide permanent legal status to DACA recipients and Dreamers.
Poll after poll shows the GOP’s anti-immigrant rhetoric was “repelling Latinos in the state” and “damaging'' their path to victory in a state where the Latino voting bloc is critical to victory. Kelly’s campaign communicated his pro-immigrant values consistently through ads, Twitter and public efforts to help Dreamers gain extra protections.
Arizona Ballot Initiative Provides Dreamers In-State Tuition
The Arizona majority spoke volumes in their vote to pass Proposition 308, which will allow all Arizona high school graduates, regardless of immigration status, access to in-state tuition. Groups on the ground, such as Aliento AZ and United We Dream Action, galvanized voters to support the initiative – solidifying a victory symbolic of where the nation stands when it comes to immigration: the vast majority of Americans support pro-immigrant solutions that center hard-working people and help local communities thrive.
Bottomline: Kelly spoke to voters about the progress he has made for immigrant and border communities. He seized the opportunity this election to show how his policy prescriptions meet the moment and voters’ vision for a better immigration system. Masters followed the Stephen Miller game plan, using “open borders” fear-mongering, extremist rhetoric and visuals that proved to be a disqualifier for voters. Kelly, on the other hand, spoke to where voters in Arizona stand on the issueand that’s how you win key voters and an election.
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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.