Immigration law reform and enforcement is a very heated and emotional issue. In recent years, no public policy has been discussed with more outrage, demonization, and disgust. Both sides of the immigration debate demand total victory. But their all-or-nothing approach has resulted in nothing. No major immigration reform legislation has been signed into law in three decades.
Perhaps it’s time for less emotion and more respect for different points of view. The Braver Angels Citizens Commission on Immigration is working to show Congress and the nation that Americans with differing views on immigration can find common ground. The Commission includes includes citizens from all sides of the issue.
Our expert guests in this episode come from opposing sides of the debate. They work closely together and are now friends. Jim Robb and Diego Sanchez are on the leadership team of the Commission, and served as co-chairs at the recent Braver Angels National Convention in Philadelphia.
Diego was nine years old when he arrived in this country from Argentina. Before becoming a US citizen, he was an undocumented college student and DACA recipient. Today he’s a policy and strategy leader at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, helping college and university leaders navigate immigration policy.
“Citizenship for me is not just a legal status. It’s a responsibility, and that’s what I bring to this work: A responsibility to help the country’s future.”
Jim supports more limits to immigration than Diego. As Vice President of Alliances at NumbersUSA, the nation’s largest-member immigration organization he advocates for a modernized system that aims to better serve America’s workers and long-term national interests.
“It’s very hard to pass legislation, especially landmark legislation that affects policies on into the future, but that’s what we’re trying to do,” says Jim of his work on the Braver Angels Commission. “To get there you have to get to the missing word in American politics, which is actually not compromise. It’s agreement and persuasion. The democracy we’re all so proud of is built on checks and balances.\"
For Diego, his work together with Jim and others includes a vital space for disagreement. “Disagree better means honest disagreement without contempt. It’s refusing to surrender the humanity of the person across from you.”
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