{"id":45840,"date":"2025-02-19T18:08:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=45840"},"modified":"2025-02-20T15:00:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T15:00:25","slug":"bridging-immigration-divides-without-contempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/bridging-immigration-divides-without-contempt\/","title":{"rendered":"On Immigration, Seeing the \u201cOther Side\u201d Without Contempt"},"content":{"rendered":"

“We must look past our first explanations for people\u2019s stances on immigration and everything else. Knee-jerk conclusions come with knee-jerk reactions, the kind of righteousness and resentment that makes us blame instead of think. Check out how the \u2018other side\u2019 explains it. They might be too generous. But you might be too critical.”<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2014 <\/span><\/i>Monica Guzman, <\/span>Braver Angels ambassador<\/span><\/a> and author of <\/span>I Never Thought of It That Way<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Immigration is one of the most divisive issues in American politics. It sparks passionate debates and strong emotions.<\/span><\/p>\n

But like most complex issues, immigration isn\u2019t one thing. It\u2019s made up of many different aspects, including legal and illegal immigration, border security, and pathways to citizenship. Too often, the debate is boiled down to simplistic, binary, either-or narratives, making our stances more extreme and less open to compromise.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s examine some misconceptions and consider how we might approach this issue with less contempt and more understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Democrats believe that Republican stances on immigration are rooted in racism and xenophobia. In a <\/span>2021 survey<\/span><\/a>, 70% of Democrats said they thought racist beliefs were behind Republicans\u2019 desire for less immigration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, many Republicans believe that Democrats being less restrictive on this issue is due to them wanting to gain votes and power through demographic shifts. For example, Elon Musk has <\/span>repeatedly stated<\/span><\/a> that Democrats\u2019 immigration stances are about political gain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conflict tends to do this to us: We see our opponents\u2019 motivations through the most pessimistic lens possible. To reduce toxicity, we must see that immigration is a complex, nuanced issue. We must see how easy it is for us to arrive at different views on the issue. Our tendency to see our opponents in the worst possible light fuels vitriol around this and all debates. This tendency wrings the nuance from the discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Concerns about immigration are not inherently racist\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Many Americans want stricter immigration policies for reasons that have nothing to do with racism or xenophobia. Historically, even many progressives have supported stricter immigration policies. Bernie Sanders, for most of his career, stood against lax immigration policies, arguing hey hurt American workers<\/a> <\/span>and led to the exploitation of immigrants. Few have called him racist for that stance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conservatives aren\u2019t the only ones with concerns about immigration or the border. For example, a 2024 survey found that <\/span>42% of Democrats supported mass deportation of undocumented immigrants<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>One can find anti-immigrant stances even <\/span>in Latin American countries<\/span><\/a>, which highlights that this is not just about racism \u2014 at least not as it\u2019s constructed in America.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be clear, there can be racist and xenophobic motivations for anti-immigration stances \u2014 and that can be true even for <\/span>non-white people<\/span><\/a>. The point is that it\u2019s a mistake to assume that everyone who wants tighter border control operates with those motivations. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, Republicans should be willing to acknowledge the basis of Democrats\u2019 concerns. Trump\u2019s rhetoric has included <\/span>harsh, derogatory words<\/span><\/a> about immigrants. For example, he has said they\u2019re \u201c<\/span>poisoning the blood<\/span><\/a>\u201d of the country, that some are \u201c<\/span>vermin<\/span><\/a>,\u201d and stated confidently, without evidence, that <\/span>Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating pets<\/span><\/a>. Such language can understandably lead some people to see Trump\u2019s motivations as racist \u2014 or even as having <\/span>fascist qualities<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, people will disagree (strongly) on that topic. But hopefully, Republicans can see why people think such things. People who see Trump as having malicious motives should remember that even if that is true, not everyone on that side of the issue has those motives. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>No matter our beliefs, we should try to <\/span>understand the reasons<\/span><\/a> for our fellow citizens\u2019 views.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans feel their concerns are ignored<\/b><\/h3>\n

For their part, Democrats should try to understand why Republicans feel that <\/span>their<\/span><\/i> concerns are ignored or even mocked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic strategist Ruy Teixeira writes about what he calls <\/span>the <\/span>Fox News fallacy<\/span><\/i><\/a>, which is where Democrats think if conservative-leaning pundits are outraged about something, then it isn\u2019t a valid concern. This dynamic is standard; we\u2019re prone to thinking, \u201cIf the \u2018bad guys\u2019<\/span> are worried about it, it\u2019s not a real problem.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A liberal-side response is often, \u201cBut they are <\/span>too<\/span><\/i> worried about things they shouldn\u2019t be worried about.\u201d That may be true: after all, toxic polarization does lead to many people having <\/span>overstated fears<\/span><\/a> about the \u201cother side\u201d and <\/span>events around us<\/span><\/a>. But even if you think someone\u2019s fears are overstated, you should be willing to see the <\/span>rational roots<\/span><\/a> of their concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Views that Democrats are just trying to retain power<\/b><\/h3>\n

The fact that immigrants are <\/span>more likely to vote Democrat<\/span><\/a> is a factor in this debate (referring to legal and naturalized immigrants, not <\/span>undocumented immigrants<\/span><\/a>). This can lead some Republicans to reach for pessimistic views that Democratic stances are motivated by a desire to win elections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To explain these pessimistic views, some Democrats will reach for equally pessimistic explanations. For example, some will see all such views as tied to highly conspiratorial and racist \u201c<\/span>great replacement<\/span><\/a>\u201d ideas. Even as those views do, of course, exist, it\u2019s possible to find much more mundane explanations for this distrust. Democrats might imagine how their stances on the immigration issue might change if <\/span>immigrants\u2019 rightward shift<\/span><\/a> continued until they predominantly voted Republican. That might lead to Republicans becoming more pro-immigration and Democrats being suspicious of Republicans\u2019 motives. This is just to say any topic that seems to influence elections, even slightly, is an understandable source of distrust and frustration in a polarized country like ours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For their part, Republicans might try to see similarities between their highly negative views of Democrats and how Democrats see them. We know that\u2019s hard to do when you passionately disagree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t about agreeing. It\u2019s about seeing the underlying forces at work: the forces that drive us into contemptuous, distrustful, us-versus-them camps, where we think \u201cthey are bad and we are good.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

In short, there are many defensible reasons why Democrats have the stances they do, just as there are many defensible reasons for Republicans\u2019 stances. (Immigration has many sub-topics, so we can\u2019t cover all views here. One respectful discussion on this issue you might appreciate is <\/span>this Braver Angels debate<\/span><\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s deportations have amplified the divide<\/b><\/h3>\n

With Trump back in office and starting to deport undocumented immigrants, tensions have risen.\u00a0<\/span>Trump-opposed people should keep the points we\u2019ve made in mind. As stated, many Americans of assorted races and political views <\/span>think more should be done<\/span><\/a> on this issue. Trump was elected president, and that issue <\/span>factored significantly<\/span><\/a> into his support from independents and some people who might otherwise have voted for Democrats. As people in both parties will sometimes say, <\/span>elections have consequences<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, pro-Trump Americans should try to see how Trump\u2019s approaches on this and other issues can be seen as <\/span>zero-sum<\/span><\/a> and divisive. Trump\u2019s aggressive<\/a>, <\/span>mocking<\/span><\/a> approach can make some think he\u2019s <\/span>not interested in compromise<\/span><\/a> or persuasion but in \u201c<\/span>retribution<\/span><\/a>\u201d against his perceived enemies \u2014 or even cruelty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, regardless of your own views on any of these areas, we hope you agree it\u2019s a good thing to try to understand our fellow citizens’ views and concerns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Avoid contempt; seek solutions<\/b><\/h3>\n

A country\u2019s citizens will always disagree, and that disagreement becomes more heated when a country is polarized. Immigration is one of many issues where one political group can win power and enact policies the other side finds deeply wrong and harmful. That dynamic is at the core of what makes democracy so hard<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must stop assuming the worst about each other to reduce political toxicity. Rather than feeding the cycle of contempt, let\u2019s work toward a debate that prioritizes <\/span>solutions and creative compromise<\/span><\/a> over political warfare.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h3>\n

Some related resources:<\/p>\n