Money talks.
In the 2024 election, the #1 reason people voted for Trump is because they believe he’ll improve the economy.
We now have a president whose first priority is to terrorize immigrants, claiming it’ll make citizens safer and richer. As we message a response, we cannot miss this opportunity to learn from the recent past. How can we make the most of voters’ focus on their personal economic wellbeing?
Try incorporating this all-important issue as part of your messaging, and motivate your audiences to protect — not vilify — immigrants.
Here are some starting ideas:
- When America welcomes immigrants, we all prosper
- Immigration is supports innovation and a strong economy
- Deporting your neighbors won’t put more food on your table
- Mass deportations would cost America billions of dollars
- Lawmakers need to boost wages and job opportunities, not terrorize our neighbors
Now, a reminder — when we talk about immigration, we’re talking about people, whose inherent worth derives from so much more than how they influence our shared prosperity. So, as you consider how this may be a valuable facet of your messaging, ensure it doesn’t become the sole point.
It’s common sense.
As FrameWorks put it, now is the time to “pivot to pragmatism” in our immigration messaging.
In 2023, we featured FrameWorks’ research and guidance in a blog post about immigration. But at the time, we focused on a different messaging tenet: emphasizing our shared humanity. Two years later, with a new federal administration emboldened to pursue extreme anti-immigrant policies, FrameWorks shows us how to adapt.
Bookmark these tips to stay safe and fight back.
We’re storytellers, so we’ve primarily focused this newsletter on messaging around immigration. But we’re also human beings threatened by the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant efforts — and there are many ways beyond words that we can wield our power.
Start with immigrant youth-led network United We Dream, and their clear reminders for how to respond if you or your neighbors are approached by ICE. Informed Immigrant, the coalition-led resource hub, also hosts a wealth of information about how to get legal help, take care of your mental health and more.
