How to Talk About Immigration
Written by Brittany L. Stalsburg
Creating a roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in America seems like a no-brainer to you. After all, you know that immigrants are the backbone of this country, and have contributed positively to America’s economy and communities. But not everyone agrees with you, and there are still real concerns among members of the public who are not yet sold on granting immigrants citizenship. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University found that although the vast majority of Americans (68 percent) believe immigrants who came to America illegally should be allowed to apply for citizenship, nearly one in five Americans (19 percent) say immigrants should be deported.
The good news is there are proven strategies for how to communicate with people about immigration and persuade them to support a roadmap to citizenship. This handy communication guide includes tips for how to best frame your argument and communicate about immigration in ways that resonate and persuade different audiences.
1. Anchor your argument in values
Throwing facts and statistics at people isn’t going to convince them to see things your way. To really persuade people, you have to reach them at a values level, by appealing to their most basic and core beliefs about the world and humanity. What kinds of values does your audience hold dear? When it comes to immigration reform, research shows that anchoring arguments in the values of opportunity and equality is a winning strategy.
- Emphasize that in America, all human beings are created equal, and that all people — no matter what they look like or where they come from — have rights.
- Underscore that what defines someone as “American” is not the color of their skin, but what they contribute to their communities and to the country.
2. Avoid the rule-of-law frame
One of the most common arguments against allowing immigrants to become citizens is that they broke the law by coming here in the first place. Flip this frame by talking about immigrants not as law breakers, but as people who move to another country to create more opportunity for their families. Moving for a better life is a common experience that many Americans can relate to.
- Talk about how immigrants are just like anyone else, in that they want to create better lives for their families through opportunity.
3. Emphasize the need to create a new process that works
Telling people that we need to reform the immigration system implies that the current system is fixable, when it’s actually broken beyond repair. It’s not enough to make policy tweaks here and there — we need to establish a new, commonsense immigration process that works for everyone. Also, “reform” implies that immigrants are a problem, which is not the frame we want to lead with.
- Use language that emphasizes how we need to create a commonsense process that establishes a roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in America.
Read more communication tips as well as tested winning messages for talking about immigration here.
