by Madison Sings
Roughly three years ago, I was in Washington to talk to some of our elected leaders about migration policy and the need for reform. I was nineteen years old, had almost one year of college under my belt, and was cautiously optimistic due to the hundreds of offices we visited that weekend.
Suffice it to say, things did not go according to plan. No overarching immigration reform. No pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients (Dreamers). No scaling back of the militarization of the Southern border. But seeds were planted.
I’m now 22 and completing my final year at Warren Wilson College. My focus has always been environmental policy but the people I met and conversations/debates I had back in 2019 never left me. Ironically, the Spring Lobby Weekend I took part in was once again centered on immigration policy for 2022. That’s how I found myself back in DC this spring.
I was born and raised in North Carolina, as were my parents. I have never had to worry about a knock at the door in the middle of the night or coming home from school to an empty house with no parents.
It was only after getting interested in immigration issues that I found out so much of what I took for granted was not universal. I know DACA recipients. I know friends and classmates whose parents are undocumented. Sadly, I know more than a few who fear speaking up for themselves out of fear of what could happen to them and/or their families.
It is that kind of fear and anxiety I hoped to impart on Senator Thom Tillis when my small group met with his staff.
Our message was as simple as it was compelling: A pathway to citizenship is the only morally and economically sound decision the nation can make. At the height of the pandemic, some five million undocumented essential workers showed up to work – risking their lives and the well-being of their families – to make sure the country keep moving as best as possible.
It is no secret that those spending our money in DC would probably like more of it. If Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants were granted citizenship, 400,000 jobs would be created, some $1.7 trillion would be added to the GDP, and millions more would be paid into both the federal and state treasuries.
These are our friends, neighbors, and in some cases family members. They are not strangers looking to shake us down for free money. Many are fleeing repressive regimes in search of freedom and a better life for their families. This is on display every day in footage from Ukraine. Helping these people means helping the United States in countless ways.
Luckily, during our meeting, there was universal agreement that the system is broken and badly needs reform. Staffers made clear Tillis does support a path to citizenship. All good things and we were taking agreement/encouragement where we could find it.
Yes, three years later the fight goes on. But since 2019 there have been more victories than defeats. I saw familiar faces last month. And the turnout was much bigger, even on the tail-end of a global pandemic. No one gives up.
Once again, the seeds have been sown. I hope if I find myself back in DC three years from now we are not talking about immigration. But our leaders in Washington should know that we – like immigrants – are not going away and won’t be ignored.
Madison Sings of Asheville is completing her final year at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. She studied environmental science and policy along with political science.