What would happen if people from both sides of the political aisle in America bridged the ideological divide and had a reasonable discussion about immigration in America?
This was the question Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, posed to attendees at a forum hosted by the University of Idaho college of agriculture and life sciences as part of their CALS Speaker Series.
Noorani said average Americans are not as divided on the issue of immigration as it seems. He said it is undeniable that America is changing quickly and that more migrants are coming to the U.S.
He said those changes have instilled fear in people, specifically, in conservative rural America. Noorani said, as part of a strategy started in 2011 by the National Immigration Forum, he traveled to those communities and spoke with leaders in the evangelical community, law enforcement and business.
“We learned in these regions that if you hold a bible, if you wear a badge, or you own a business you want a common sense solution to the immigration system,” Noorani said.
Noorani said the only way to come to a solution is to address the fears that exist in rural America and make a case for the value of immigrants in America.
He said if that’s done successfully, then conservatives in rural America can change their minds about immigration. Noorani said then everyone might realize it is in everyone’s best interest that changes be made the immigration system.
Noorani said Americans often feel like they are not presented with moderate solutions when it comes to immigration.
“It often feels like we are given a binary choice,” Noorani said. “Are we a nation of laws or a nation of grace? We can be both.”
Noorani said the political environment in America has become increasingly tribal, in general, but specifically on the topic of immigration.
“We should be looking to each other to try and find a common ground, instead our politics are overpowering our humanity,” Noorani said.
Noorani said the next step for those in attendance was to leave and start dialogues with the people in their lives, even if they disagree politically, about immigration and to help friends and family realize that they are not as divided on the issue of immigration as they might think.
Gavin Green can be reached at [email protected]