Why are we making life harder for people who are making our lives better?

By Ashley Bean Thornton

The immigrants I know make our community richer and better.

Like many of us living in McLennan County, I am lucky enough to know plenty of recent immigrants, and even more sons and daughters of recent immigrants.

Every immigrant and son/daughter of an immigrant that I know has made our community richer and better in some way.

There may be some exceptions to that, but honestly, I can’t think of any.

From professors at Baylor, to tutors and kids I worked with at Hines Elementary, to people who have started flourishing businesses here, to people who have fed me at local restaurants, to people who have worked on my house, to people I just know from being out and about in the community – the people I know who have immigrated here from other countries are making our community richer and better.

I don’t know whether all these folks came here “legally” or “illegally.”  I imagine some of both.

I think we could be doing this better, and we would be better off.

I can’t help wondering: Wouldn’t we be better off investing some of the billions we are currently spending on detention and deportation on a system that helps people come here legally and efficiently and get settled into jobs and communities?

A well-managed immigration system could help us grow our workforce positively. It could help us direct folks into jobs that we need to fill. It could eventually increase our tax base. In the long run it could even help stabilize our population decline and strengthen our social security system.

I know it wouldn’t necessarily be easy.

We need to make sure competition in the workforce is fair and productive. (It’s worth noting, though, that our current system of turning a blind eye to employers who hire people off the books at low wages isn’t helping anyone but the cheaters — not workers, not businesses that follow the rules.)

We would need to make sure we don’t overwhelm schools or housing availability or important social services. But that’s exactly the point—if we had a stronger system, we could actually plan for that. We could:

• pace arrivals,
• spread people out geographically,
• connect people directly to jobs.

We could make planned investments in housing and schools instead of just reacting.

That would be challenging. But wouldn’t we be better off in the long run?

But, what can state legislators do?

Immigration management is largely a federal issue, so what difference does it make who you elect to state office when it comes to immigration?

Well, state government affects federal government in the big picture through things like redistricting and managing elections.

In a more immediate sense, though, our state legislature shapes how federal legislation plays out on the ground. For example, we can decide to use our state law enforcement to lean into the current deportation-heavy federal approach.  Or, we can limit how much local systems are used for federal enforcement.  This affects whether people trust law enforcement on the local level and whether crimes get reported.

Also, we get to decide how we want to spend our state money. “Project Lonestar” doesn’t have to be about razor wire and detention centers.  It could be about providing local infrastructure support so that people can be received and processed legally more quickly. It could be about providing language and skill building for folks so that, when they do get the OK to be here legally and work, they are ready to go.

And beyond policy, we can use our voice.

As state legislators, our voices are amplified. We can push for an immigration system that is not just reactive—but intentional. One that looks ahead to what is possible, instead of stirring up fear and prejudice.

I think the federal government would have a hard time ignoring that kind of voice. If we elect state legislators who are willing to speak up for common sense, humane, immigration reform they will have to start listening if they expect to keep their jobs.

If you agree, I hope you will vote for me, Ashley Bean Thornton, for the Texas House.  Let’s build the Texas — and the USA — we want.