Dem
47
GOP
53
Today, we're moving on to something new. Above, we have a couple of items that touch on Democratic strategy. And tomorrow, we have an item on political discourse. This new series, which will run for at least a few weeks, is meant to allow readers to consider the question of how Democrats should approach the issue of immigration in 2026 and 2028.
It is not a secret that the Republicans have hit the Democrats hard on immigration for at least 25 years. And the Democrats have largely responded by talking about how very strong their border policies are, and how they've done a great deal to reduce illegal border crossings. The first problem here is that the Democrats are also trying to appeal to voters who are immigrants, or who are the descendants/relatives of immigrants. So, the blue team can't lean into the anti-immigrant rhetoric the way Donald Trump does. The second problem, related to the first, is that the Republicans have largely won the "we're the party that takes border security seriously" debate. That may, or may not, be supported by the facts, but that's the way it is.
In 2026/2028, we can see three basic approaches to this issue that the Democrats might pursue. The first is to do the same thing the Party has been doing, and defend Democrats' record on border security. Of course, everyone knows the apocryphal line about the definition of insanity—doing the same thing and expecting different results.
A second possibility is to highlight the rather serious downsides of the Trump approach to immigration. This might include individual horror stories, it might include talk of siccing military forces on U.S. cities like Los Angeles, it might include discussion of the economic consequences of the administration's policy. There is certainly some merit to this approach, in that it gives Democrats a different angle than the one they usually take.
The third possibility, which could plausibly co-exist with the second, is to take a positive stance on immigration. Something like this: "Nobody wants gangs and drugs in the United States, but at the same time, we do want the many and valuable things that immigrants have contributed, and continue to contribute to American life. That means we cannot err too far in the direction of being too loose, or too far in the direction of being too harsh." One could imagine this being paired with a campaign of, say, 30-second ads that tell "immigration stories." This approach would certainly allow the blue team to stake out different ground than the current iteration of the Republican Party does. And it's ground that many Democrats will find agreeable, and possibly even some Republicans. Remember that St. Ronnie of Reagan's policy was to welcome those immigrants who have a contribution to make.
Note that we do not have an answer to the question of which approach or approaches would be best. We're just going to lay out some information, to let readers think about the issue, and to think about what approach might be most compelling. To that end, in this series, we are going to share a reader story of immigration, and then we will couple it with a brief story of Trump immigration policy gone bad. This seems the best way to compare and contrast. We'll lead off with a story from reader R.E.M. in Brooklyn, NY:
My grandparents (Frieda and Ernst Lederer), mother (Jenny) and uncle (Bruno) immigrated to the United States from Trieste, Italy, arriving in April 1939, almost exactly 5 months before the start of World War II. The family were Austrian Jews (my mother had been born in Vienna). Although functionally refugees from fascist persecution, they were legally regular "chain" migrants sponsored by Grandma's brother-in-law, Morris Gruber, who had immigrated years before and established a successful business, Presto Machine Products Corp., in Brooklyn. He sponsored the immigration of all of his wife's siblings, spouses and children, and my great-grandmother, literally saving their lives.
The impetus for all the immigration was the Nazi Anschluss of Austria in March 1938, as the rest of the family still lived in Vienna. Another of Grandma's brothers-in-law was sent to Dachau at the beginning of June 1938, but was released near the end of September. It was very clear that it was time to leave.
In Trieste, Grandma had to tread the fine line with the Nazi consulate of being persistent, but not enough of a nuisance to get them to complain to Italian police. She was able to convince them to give her and my grandfather passports (and including their children on her passport) on February 1, 1939. Grandma then had to take the train to Naples (even today a nine-hour train trip) to the U.S. consulate, where she was able to submit the paperwork and on March 1 obtain the visas for the United States.
I attach images from Grandma's passport, which has been handed down to me, including the first page complete with a big, red "J" identifying her as a Jew and next to the Nazi eagle carrying a swastika badge; the other side of that page with her photo, name, and the Nazi issuance stamp and signature; and the last page, with the U.S. immigration visa that also listed my mother and uncle. That page also shows the family's date of embarkation for America, March 30.
It is chilling to me to hold this document in my hands. It screams, "This was real; this actually happened." I know it sounds crazy, but every time I go through the pages, there is a palpable sense of relief when I get to the last page and see the U.S. seal. I can't imagine the terror of those times, nor the upheaval of the two months from receiving the passports from the Nazis to boarding the ship to freedom. My grandmother, one of the most loving people I've ever met (she regularly babysat me for years), was also tough as nails in persisting to save her family. Her memory is a blessing.
As a post-script, a few years ago, Austria passed a law that granted citizenship to descendants of persons forced to leave, or who were prevented from returning to Austria because of fascist persecution. I applied for and was granted citizenship, including an Austrian passport. At the time, I did it mostly to vindicate my family's memory (all four of those immigrants had passed away by then), and to give the finger to the Nazis after over 80 years. But with the creeping rise of fascism here, I am also comforted that I can leave for the E.U. should the U.S. heirs to the Brownshirts start marching again (my wife and son also have E.U. citizenship through my Irish mother-in-law). It would be a terrible, bitter irony if the three generations before me were saved from Austrian fascism by the United States only to have me saved from American fascism by Austria.
Thanks, R.E.M.
Turning to today, let us briefly note the story of Luís Leon, an 82-year-old Chilean man. He was granted asylum in the United States in 1987, after having been persecuted by the Augusto Pinochet regime. He worked in a leather-manufacturing plant for nearly 40 years, raised a family, and then retired. Earlier this year, he lost his wallet, in which he had his identification and his green card. Given the current political situation, Leon and his wife decided that they better get replacements ASAP, and so they made an appointment with their local immigration office.
Undoubtedly, readers can guess what happened next. Leon was handcuffed and led away, with not a word of explanation given to his wife. He was deported to Guatemala, despite having no connection to that nation. Leon has chronic health problems, and takes prescriptions to help with those. At some point thereafter, the family got a call from a stranger who claimed to be an immigration lawyer, and who said that Leon was dead.
This turns out to be untrue. There was apparently a case of mistaken identity, and he was confused with someone else, who really is dead. Leon is, at last report, in a hospital in Guatemala. His family is struggling to get any information about him and, of course, he still hasn't been returned to them.
If readers have stories of their own to share, like the one from R.E.M., or news to bring to our attention, like the story about Luís Leon, please do send that to us at comments@electoral-vote.com, preferably with subject line "Immigration Stories." (Z)