Democrats must make the economic case for immigration

Recent polling consistently shows that two issues are at the forefront of voters’ minds as the 2024 election approaches: the economy and immigration. But Democrats appear hesitant to engage the issue of immigration, either avoiding the topic altogether or, as seen at the Democratic National Convention, simply playing defense against Republican attacks or even shifting their stance to the right.

In her nomination acceptance speech, Vice President Kamala Harris echoed this cautious approach, stating, “I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system.” Her focus remained on border security, framing immigration as a problem to be fixed, rather than making the case for why it is vital to our country’s future.

Democrats’ approach is driven, in part, by the very real challenges at the border — record-high apprehensions at the end of 2023 and ongoing disputes over asylum laws. Republicans have seized this opportunity to dominate the narrative and expand it into a broader anti-immigrant agenda that promotes extreme measures like restrictions on legal immigration and mass deportations.

Democrats must change their approach. Rather than allow Republicans to frame the debate—or worse, mimic their rhetoric — they should proudly reclaim their identity as the pro-immigrant party and boldly make the case that immigration is integral to America’s economic health, addressing both of these top concerns from voters at the same time. By highlighting their ongoing efforts to fix border issues and stressing the broader economic benefits of immigration, Democrats can reclaim the narrative.

These economic realities must be communicated effectively, especially to young voters who are crucial to both parties. Immigrants contribute over $575 billion to federal, state and local taxes annually.

Immigrants are essential to Texas’ economy and labor force. Without continued immigration, the U.S. population is set to decline, which would have severe repercussions for our dependency ratio, tax base and overall economic growth. Mass deportations would lead to a spike in mortgage defaults and reduce GDP by an estimated $4.7 trillion over the next decade.

These mainstream arguments have been advanced by a bipartisan group of organizations and scholars for years, but based on my experience as a lecturer, young people seem largely unaware of the vital role that immigrants play in the economic vitality of this country.

One student reacted by saying, “I was shocked at how much immigrants impact the economy.” Another student found the studies “eye-opening,” adding, “I had never thought about the economic factor of immigration since it is often overlooked in the media and news.”

These students quickly connected this to politics. One wondered why “liberals have never tried to profusely use the argument that immigrants generate so much domestic wealth,” noting that it could be a powerful tool in swaying opinions. Another liberal student in the class was pleased to learn that they could now defend “immigration as a positive to our economy,” rather than relying solely on ideological arguments.

Even some conservative students questioned why President Trump would attempt to overturn the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects eligible immigrant youth from deportation if this policy was beneficial to the economy.

These reactions should be a wakeup call. But it isn’t just students. Studies show that economic concerns are the most influential factor in shaping public opinion on immigration — and these concerns are becoming more pronounced.

A recent survey found that the number of people who believe even skilled, legal immigrants are “not a benefit at all” to our economy more than tripled since 2017, from 8 percent to 28 percent, with Democrats showing a larger increase than Republicans. A majority (55 percent) of Americans now want immigration reduced — the highest number since 2001 — despite economists stressing that increasing immigration would help fight inflation and stabilize our workforce.

These are exactly the points that should be at the forefront of Democratic messaging, yet they remain underemphasized, as the Democratic convention demonstrated. This underscores a significant gap in the current political strategy around immigration — one that Democrats could and should fill by making the economic case for migration more central to their arguments in the last few months of the election season.

Tying immigration to economic growth isn’t new. In 2014-2015, I worked with the National Immigration Forum’s Bibles, Badges, and Businesses for Immigration Reform campaign, a broad, bipartisan coalition pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. This included overhauling the outdated legal immigration system and creating a path to legalization for undocumented residents.

Despite differences in opinion, we worked in deeply conservative areas to dispel myths and emphasize why and how immigration and immigrants are good for America. We made it clear that immigration was not just a cultural or moral issue, but a critical economic one — essential for industries, local economies and the country’s long-term growth.

This focus helped change minds. We successfully secured conservative support for immigration reform and even mobilized them to advocate for it, organizing local events, meetings with representatives in their home districts and trips to Washington, D.C., where they helped push some conservative congressmen to back reform. Unfortunately, much of that momentum was lost in the years that followed, as the national conversation shifted toward more hostile and divisive rhetoric.

As the election draws near, Democrats cannot afford to concede the issue of immigration. Rather, they should lead on it — reminding voters of their efforts to address the issues at the border and using economic arguments to counter Republican rhetoric. If the DNC is any indication, there is much work to be done on how Democrats frame this issue. Highlighting the economic contributions of immigrants can powerfully resonate with voters concerned about our financial future, inspiring a vision of inclusive prosperity for America.

Matthew Blantonis a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and demography at the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, Blanton co-led a nonprofit organization in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala for five years and worked for the National Immigration Forum.