Trump’s Tired Immigration Tropes Offer Biden an Opportunity

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Where do the presidential candidates stand regarding immigrants and immigration?

In a new post today, Ali Noorani, President and CEO of America is Better, highlights where the American people stand, why many have moved on from President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, and the opportunity that lies before Vice President Joe Biden.

Should the president try to claim credit for slashing immigration and ramping up enforcement, he’d be taking “a victory lap with no fans,” Noorani writes. That’s because Americans recognize that immigrants, standing shoulder to shoulder with native-born Americans, are essential to the nation’s COVID-19 response and recovery.

What’s more, the 2020 American Values Survey, published this week by the Public Religion Research Institute, indicates that more than 80% of Republicans and Independents view immigrants as hardworking — and 58% of white evangelical Protestants, aka Trump’s base, support allowing undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship.

“Vice President Biden has an opportunity to appeal to the Americans across the spectrum who see, in their immigrant neighbors, common values and a shared American identity,” Noorani writes. “He should drive home this truth: Our nation’s security — physical, economic and healthwise — depends on immigrants and immigration now more than ever.”

The full piece is available on Medium. Noorani is available for interview around tonight’s presidential debate.

###