Leading the Way

Today the National Immigration Forum hosted our annual Leading the Way convening this week. We were excited to have nearly 300 national security, law enforcement, business and faith leaders together in D.C. to talk about and advocate for secure, compassionate immigration solutions!?

I want to share with you some of the thoughts I brought to this morning’s general session:?

Somehow it both goes without saying and is important to say aloud that this is a difficult time for all of us who believe in welcoming immigrants to the United States through a humane, orderly and secure system. ?

We know that when immigrants can contribute legally, our communities are safer and more prosperous, and our economy is stronger. But we’ve heard a lot of negative rhetoric and harmful policy proposals aimed at the immigrant community. ?

Some among us are immigrants. Nearly all of us have immigrant family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates or congregants.?

And now many of us sense that a mountain lies before us. ?

So let’s go back to the six principles the Forum released in March. These principles will continue to guide us through the challenges that lie ahead. We started with the need for compassion and justice for longtime residents, including Dreamers, by allowing them an opportunity to earn lawful status and citizenship. ?

Second, we have pushed for the United States to continue our moral leadership in the world as a welcoming and compassionate nation that offers refuge to the persecuted. And this past year, we succeeded: The U.S. resettled more refugees than we had since 1994.?

Third: Honor the human dignity of all people through our words and actions. We reinforced this principle with polling in August showing that a strong majority of Americans would prefer a candidate who offers solutions over one who engages in dehumanizing rhetoric about immigrants.?

Fourth, we will continue to fight for reforms that address the need for safety and security on the border and in our communities — including the need to focus immigration enforcement on threats to public safety and national security.?

Fifth, we are not giving up on the fight for fair and orderly legal immigration that continues to solidify our global economic leadership. And last but definitely not least, we will not blink as we defend the longstanding constitutional principle of birthright citizenship.?

These principles aren't just keeping us grounded. They are meant to remind our leaders of the future that Americans are looking for — and the type of policies that time and again, no matter for whom they voted, strong majorities of Americans say they support.?

We know the road ahead will be difficult. We also know that any success we have will be because of you — the people having conversations in your communities, visiting and calling your members of Congress, making sure our nation honors immigrants’ human dignity and family unity. ??

I know that continuing to work toward solutions is the only way to go forward.?

And the thing is, there are balanced solutions. Many people you’ll hear from today — including some in just a few minutes — have been having tough conversations to home in on targeted ways we can transform our immigration system.?

The work we do to support those solutions is grounded in conversations and relationships — including those we’ll have here this week. Those relationships are what are moving our elected leaders to come to the table and have their own difficult conversations that will move us forward.?

Americans want these kinds of targeted solutions. In polling numbers from August of this year, just a few months ago, 76% of registered voters expressed support for Republicans and Democrats working together for key, targeted border and immigration reforms.?That includes more than 70% of self-identified conservatives and self-identified Republicans.?

This level of support is one reason members of Congress, from both parties, are laying the groundwork for border security, asylum and legal immigration reforms that would benefit all of America.?

If they and all of us can come to the table to hash out solutions and not let our differences derail us, I know we can create a future we will be proud of.?