As we await President Trump’s second State of the Union address, it’s clear that the state of the immigration debate is in a very different place than a year ago. Americans are witnessing in real time what an inhumane enforcement-only approach looks like—and they’re repulsed by it. The cruelty, brutality and overreach are opening a critical window to debate not just what we are against, but what we should be for. Policymakers interested in charting a path forward should seize this moment to define solutions grounded on what works for our nation’s interests.
At the SOTU, President Trump will undoubtedly spew more lies and anti-immigrant rhetoric—with de-facto President Stephen Miller whispering in his ear. Yet Americans are revolting against their agenda and its misplaced priorities: spending record amounts detaining and deporting children, building mass detention centers across the country and unleashing masked agents in our neighborhoods while families struggle to afford basic necessities.
No wonder immigration has moved from one of Trump’s strongest issues to a political liability for the President and his congressional allies. Recent polling shows majorities of Americans believe Trump’s ICE operations go too far, recognize mass deportation makes us less safe and strongly support ICE and CBP reforms and accountability– including judicial warrants, protecting sensitive locations, and ending the practice of racial profiling.
Americans are realizing what immigration advocates warned all along: attacks on immigrants were the opening act of broader assaults on citizens’ rights and freedoms. A staggering 80% of Americans have seen videos of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti alongside hundreds of others showing brutal arrests, militarized home invasions, and the caging of parents and children. They are recoiling from the brutality—and even Trump voters are expressing regret.
This terror campaign is revealing another fact about immigration: support for legalizing deeply rooted immigrants has remained consistent across Democratic and Republican administrations. It’s stronger today than ever—by a 2:1 margin in recent NBC News/Decision Desk and Quinnipiac polls, Americans support legal status/citizenship over mass deportation when given the choice.
Americans are saying NO to Trump’s cruelty and YES to common sense solutions such as controlling our border and legalizing their friends, neighbors, and coworkers. They want an alternative to the cruelty, violence and chaos. And while the most immediate priority must be reigning in out-of-control ICE and CBP, we must also work towards broader change.
Multiple solid frameworks for overhauling our immigration system from both slides of the aisle already exist, from Senator Rubén Gallego’s policy framework to bipartisan measures like the Dream Act, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and the Dignity Act to blueprints from the George W. Bush Center, Center for American Progress, Niskanen Center and FWD.us. The broad contours of a common sense vision backed by most Americans is clear: legal status for long-residing undocumented immigrants; address concerns about border security; create an orderly and accessible legal immigration process; and focus enforcement resources against real public safety threats and not those being targeted by this administration. These ideas aren’t just popular in blue states—they resonate nationwide.
While it’s difficult to even think that we could discuss a functional system amid the cruelty and chaos, there must be a plan beyond this ugly chapter. Democrats are taking the right steps with the current ICE/CBP funding debate. And to regain trust they must be problem-solvers and coalesce around a vision for change.
The immigration issue is not intractable. Immigrants are deeply woven into America’s fabric—whether MAGA likes it or not. And a path forward exists with solid majority support. The state of the union on immigration is clear: Americans reject Trump’s/Miller’s dystopian vision for America. And in addition to dismantling Trump and Miller’s repressive system, we must overhaul the immigration system in ways consistent with our American values and interests.
