The 2024 election cycle is in full swing and along with it is a steady stream of rhetoric against immigration and immigrants themselves. For those of us who work with immigrants, whether or not we are immigrants ourselves, the drum beat of hurtful statements is appalling.  One question I ask myself is what can I offer those I know who are distressed and hurt by the hateful comments they hear and read? How do I help people who have heard leading politicians speak about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of Americans who were born here? How can I mitigate harm?
 

Reflecting on Common Immigration Narratives

My first response is that I need to arm myself with facts that refute inaccurate assertions. Particularly during election cycles, and also when there are increased numbers of migrants arriving at the US Southern border, politicians and the news media frequently:

1. Bolster a narrative that immigrants commit crimes; and,
2. Bolster a narrative that immigrants hurt the economic wellbeing of US citizens.

Neither narrative is true.

First, crime: Although the sentiment that immigrants are bad people and commit crimes or intend to do so has been strong since the 1980s, research consistently shows the opposite is true. Immigrants commit fewer crimes and are less likely to be incarcerated than their peers. One working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research noted, “As a group, immigrants have had lower incarceration rates than the US-born for 150 years.” Additionally, they found that incarceration rates for immigrants have declined since 1960. Even in Texas, where anti-immigrant sentiment may be the highest in the country, research from the Cato Institute looking at 2019 data from Texas found that undocumented immigrants were 37.1% less likely to be convicted of a crime.
 

Second, the economy: Two false assertions claim that immigrants take jobs away from native-born Americans and lower their wages. In fact, immigrants have largely been responsible for the recovery of the economy since the pandemic, making the United States the country with the most robust post-pandemic economy. One of the rallying cries of politicians who use immigration as part of their rhetoric to drum up support is that immigrants take away jobs especially from people who have not attended college. A recent study analyzing data from 2000-2022 found nothing of the sort. The authors state: “Even simulations for the most recent 2019-2022 period suggest small positive effects on wages of non-college natives and no significant crowding out effects on employment.”
 

A new narrative might be useful: there are benefits that immigrants provide that may be less obvious. For example, immigration may be a key economic response to inflation.  A steady rate of growth is better in terms of managing inflation and immigrants help the economy grow at a steady pace. “Mark Regets, an economist at the National Foundation for American Policy, explained to Forbes that ‘increasing our ability to produce by increasing the supply of labor is the least painful way to control inflation.’ The native workforce is not growing, so immigration is the only way to significantly increase the labor supply.”

How to Respond to Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric

If we are talking with family members, friends, or colleagues, it makes sense to ask directly how the current rhetoric is affecting them.

“It’s hard to get away from the escalation in anti-immigrant rhetoric.  I am wondering if it is affecting you or people you know?”

Someone might reply with a yes or a no.

In either case, I would probably venture one more statement. Since I believe that part of being an ally to the immigrants I know is to inform myself about the facts, I would honestly be able to follow up with the following: “It upsets me to hear things like ‘immigrants commit crimes’ when immigrants commit less crime than native-born Americans. So much of what is stated as fact about immigrants is just not true.” I would hope that even this gentle approach would convey support.

In the context of medical practice, I am wondering if the time is right to confront the anti-immigrant rhetoric with an approach similar to the one taken to intervene in family violence. In many offices, posters ask people if they are safe from emotional or physical harm and specifically state to tell your health care practitioner if you do not feel safe. Under present and perhaps worsening conditions, posters in waiting rooms might say, “No hate, no fear. Immigrants are welcome here.” This can be followed by messaging on forms, such as “If you are experiencing fear or harm due to being an immigrant, please tell your provider.”

I worry that the season of anti-immigrant rhetoric will be long and toxic. Each of us can play a role in lessening the negative effect on those with whom we interact, whether socially, in our families or at our jobs. Even a small negation of the circulating hurtful statements can reassure and comfort someone. It’s worth doing so.