Unsettled: Immigration in Turbulent Times
Episode 10: The Democrats and Immigration
Immigration was a salient issue in the 2024 presidential election and that it hurt Democrats. Arrivals and entries had skyrocketed under Biden. The so-called Biden “reset” late in his administration was to deter asylum claims at the border, work with Mexico and other countries to prevent flows, open up alternative legal pathways, including large parole programs for designated nationalities. But the efforts to close the border came too late, and they left very few people persuaded. And Democrats again were lambasted as the open border party, and overall support for US immigration policies seemed to be shifting.
However, the Trump administration has overreached. Even among Republicans, the change in sentiment is noteworthy.
Can the Democrats can come up with a narrative and a set of policies that can appeal to a wide swath of the American public. But what should those policies be? And can the Democrats shed the label as the party of open borders?
Our guest speaker is Frank Sharry, a longtime advocate and policy expert.
Episode Transcript
Read the transcript for episode 10.
Show Notes
- Frank Sharry and Marielena Hincapié, Democracy, Summer 2025, No. 77: The Democrats and Immigration. Where does the party go now on its most contentious issue? A debate.
- Neera Tanden and Debu Gandhi, Center for American Progress, July 6, 2025: A New Immigration System To Safeguard America’s Security, Expand Economic Growth, and Make Us Stronger.
- Excerpts from Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership, the Conservative Promise. Link to PDF.
- Section on Department of Homeland Security, p. 133.
- Section on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), p. 140
- Section on Necessary Border and Immigration Statutory, Regulatory, and Administrative Changes, p. 147
Research Support
Monica Salmón Gomez
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