By DANNY LOPEZ
State Representative
While the ongoing debate over immigration policy and illegal immigration has predictably been boiled down to a few over simplistic talking points, the truth is, this issue is one of the most nuanced and difficult we face.
Those of us who grew up in exile or immigrant communities know that better than anyone. Like so many who have lived this reality, I understand how, when it comes to this issue, many things can be simultaneously true: Our commitment to national security and the rule of law is paramount above all else, illegal immigration and visa overstays should never be incentivized, and the tone around which we debate this issue has profound impacts on the safety and well-being of real immigrant families seeking economic opportunity, freedom, and refuge from dictatorship.
This debate won’t be resolved at the state level. Still, that doesn’t mean states and cities have no role in enforcement, as some have suggested. Americans have resoundingly rejected the idea that borders can be fluid and our immigration laws unenforced as they were during the Biden administration. This view has been consistent for decades. And for much of the last 50 years, conservatives demonstrated that a commitment to strong enforcement and an embrace of immigrant communities are not mutually exclusive.
A return to that approach and, more important, a commitment to rhetoric that advances Indiana’s opportunity on immigration is critical. As a matter of policy, we have the obligation to continue crafting meaningful legislation that supports efforts to remove illegal immigrants who have violently and consistently broken our nation’s laws. On this there is immense consensus. In fact, last legislative session, several of my colleagues had meaningful, well-reasoned immigration policy proposals. I may not have been supportive of all of them, but legislators each worked hard to understand all sides of the issue, sought out different perspectives, compromised and negotiated in good faith to try to find real solutions.
Beyond the policy, however, our rhetoric on this issue must reflect our values as a people and recognize that immigrant communities will continue to play a vital role in Indiana’s next chapter. Ninety-eight percent of foreign-born Hoosiers are here legally, paying taxes and contributing immensely to the success of our state. These Hoosiers by choice cut across industries and socioeconomic status and now populate many of our 92 counties. They help shape the fabric of the communities in which they live, the churches at which they worship, and their places of employment.
We must dispel the misconception, held by too many, that one’s accent or cultural customs are a proxy for their legal status. And we must recognize that our tone on this issue has profound consequences both for the safety of our legal immigrant and refugee communities and for our ability to continue attracting the talent we need to compete in an increasingly global economy.
Finally, we must all acknowledge the concerns raised by many that the rapid influx of new populations, both legal and undocumented, changes communities and strains local resources. I know that firsthand. My family fled communist Cuba in 1960 and came to Miami as political refugees, where they faced barriers of language and culture as they gradually assimilated to a new life. Those challenges were felt by Miami’s native population as waves of political refugees flooded schools, hospitals, neighborhoods, grocery stores and more.
The acculturation process was decades long and created considerable tension, but in the end, Miami’s Cuban exile community has become one of the most prosperous and influential in the nation and has helped, overtime, build that city into a powerhouse of international trade, business, and investment.
America’s immigration system needs serious reform. It is time for Congress to adopt a comprehensive plan that leverages new technologies, strengthens border security and grapples with visa overstays, modernizes the unnecessarily onerous application process, and sharpens our immigration policies to align with our economic needs. Until then, Indiana can find its proper role in enforcement and strike the right tone around this issue, one that makes clear to legal immigrants and refugees that our state needs them here.
Danny Lopez is a Republican representing House District 39 in Indiana’s General Assembly.