WASHINGTON D.C. — With voters consistently ranking immigration as a top issue, the subject seems certain to come up in President Biden and former President Trump’s first 2024 debate on Thursday. The following is a quote from Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum:
“Americans want lasting border and immigration solutions, no matter the political narratives the candidates employ. Voters want candidates who offer border and immigration solutions that combine security, order and compassion and avoid rhetoric that criminalizes, dehumanizes and foments fear.
“The candidates should talk about immigration in a way that reflects deeply rooted American values. To meet the real challenges at our border, we’ve proposed a pragmatic framework and have found widespread support for its elements. Republicans and Democrats alike also still want solutions for Dreamers.
“A better conversation on the border and immigration is possible. Even in an election season, Americans want solutions, not political fights.”
Murray is available for interview.
The Forum’s 2024 immigration principles read as follows:
For a better immigration system in the United States, we must:
- Show compassion and justice to longtime residents, including Dreamers, by allowing them an opportunity to earn lawful status and citizenship.
- Continue our moral leadership in the world as a welcoming and compassionate nation that offers refuge to the persecuted.
- Honor the human dignity of all people through our words and actions.
- Address the need for safety and security on the border and in our communities. Promote community trust and safety by focusing immigration enforcement on threats to public safety and national security and preserving federal leadership in setting immigration enforcement policy.
- Enable fair and orderly legal immigration that continues to solidify our global economic leadership. Modernize laws to reduce backlogs and improve work visa programs for current and future workers.
- Defend the longstanding constitutional principle of birthright citizenship.