Top Dem Think Tank Warns Party: You're Losing Immigration Messaging War to Trump

[highplainsdem]

Daily Beast exclusive about a new report from the Center for American Progress:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/center-for-american-progress-warns-dems-trump-is-winning-the-immigration-messaging-war

Faced with combating the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda in the arena of public opinion, Democrats have largely pointed to reports of horrific detention conditions, spiking in-custody deaths of undocumented immigrants, and President Donald Trump’s increasingly brazen attempts to undermine the legal immigration system, hoping to counter the White House’s border message by emphasizing that such policies and tactics don’t reflect America’s immigrant tradition.

But a new report from an influential liberal think tank, provided to The Daily Beast, posits that the party’s decision to cede the “rule of law” ground to Republicans creates “the false dichotomy of America as either a nation of immigrants or a nation of laws”—making the party and its candidates appear soft on enforcement, and potentially weakening future attempts for humanitarian-focused immigration reform.

In doing so, writes Tom Jawetz, vice president of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, supporters of humane immigration policy “have ceded powerful rhetorical ground to immigration restrictionists, who are happy to masquerade as the sole defenders of America as a nation of laws.”

-snip-

In some ways, the white paper’s positions already comport with the positions of a majority of the Democratic presidential primary field. Nearly every candidate has called for an increase in refugee caps, creating a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States, and increasing funding for the country’s overburdened immigration court system—all positions proposed in the report.

But some left-wing organizations have called for a more extreme solution to the immigration system’s problems—and are hoping to make their own play for the Democratic Party’s immigration platform. The Dignity2020 Campaign, launched earlier this month in the hopes of influencing Democratic candidates on immigration, has called for the immediate legalization of all undocumented immigrants currently in the United States, and end to both immigrant detention and deportation, and the reunification of all families separated by deportation, including under previous administrations.

-snip-

The group mentioned in the last paragraph is the one that's already confronted two Democratic candidates (Biden, twice, and Warren, once) with their demands, and says they plan to confront all our candidates.

Jawetz, who wrote this report, is a former immigration lawyer and counsel to the House Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee.

[pangaia]

1. we almost ALWAYS lose the messaging war.. It's just that sometimes we get lucky anyway

which doesn't speak to the entire article but still----

america is a center left nation.... duh !

[Iliyah]

2. I don't think so.

Just my opinion.

[yaesu]

3. tRump gets daily MSM coverage to get his message across plus tweets repeated by every tom, dick

& nutjob. Progressive don't get any attention, ignored by MSM so yes, tRumpn is winning.

[Amimnoch]

4. I've written Beto and my Representative about this. A winning message:

I've written Lizzie Fletcher and Beto both with my own recommendation on turning the narrative. Also posted here at DU:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212278197

Let's rejoin our Republican brethren in addressing the undocumented immigration "problem".

Appealing to their humanity produces.. nothing.
Appealing to basic human decency... nothing.
Appealing to the purported Christian values... nothing.

So, really trying to think on it this past weekend, if you can't beat them.. join them.

Have our Democratic Party majority in the House pass bills that target businesses that hire (and abuse) the undocumented. You know, like Mara Largo, Tyson, Tropicana... A bill to investigate, fine, and incarcerate HR managers, interviewing and hiring managers and senior managers/executives that set the policies and do the hiring.

Of course, such a bill will never actually get past the Senate or Cheetolini's desk as this kind of "immigration reform" will harm their own bottom lines, BUT.. It would make one hell of a great 2020 campaign talking point to show that when it comes to REAL and effective reform they are the actual obstructionists!!

It'd be an approach that I think they would have a very hard time defending, and would ring well in all of the battleground states.

[Princetonian]

5. Excellent idea

Send this to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, care of their chief of staff.

[Politicub]

6. Trump's act of locking children in cages is a loser with immigration

I don't get the point of this article. The report referenced only furthers the notion that Democrats are for unchecked immigration, which is completely untrue.

Trump is on the cusp of committing atrocities -- or has done so already, since immigrants have died while in custody -- and the Center for American Progress scolds democrats?

[Princetonian]

7. I agree. We cannot be seen as the party that rewards breaking immigration law.

If we are a party that insists on Chump being held to being accountable to a nation of laws then we must not be hypocrites when asked to apply the law with regards to immigration.

Fine employers. Do background checks. My husband waited five years after getting his green card to become a citizen.

Swing-state Democrats will suffer at the polls if they are seen as approving of an unchecked open border. Advocate for humane conditions and loudly moving to apply the force of law against employers.