How we can reclaim the truth about immigration

This Fourth of July, as Americans confront the consequences of the Trump administration’s extreme and reckless overreach on immigration, we must reckon with how we got here — and how we can reclaim the truth.

The Donald Trump–Stephen Miller anti-immigrant machine didn’t emerge overnight. It was deliberately built — brick by brick, lie by lie. In the last election cycle alone, Republicans poured over $1 billion into anti-immigrant ads. Elon Musk gave extremists a global megaphone by promoting “great replacement” theory to millions on X. And Trump, with Miller whispering in his ear, seized every opportunity to stoke fear with dark, false narratives of immigrant criminality and invasion.

It worked. The noise became deafening. The disinformation echo chamber grew. And now we are witnessing its dangerous consequences — in policy, in rhetoric and in real people’s lives.

Throughout his first five months in office, Trump has pursued a menacing anti-immigrant agenda. Mass deportation raids are being carried out across the country. Pro-immigrant protests in Los Angeles were met with violence. Migrant detention camps have been built and filled with prisoners.

But now many Americans are realizing that the immigrant “threat” they’ve been told to fear — by Trump and the GOP, as well as MAGA influencers and right-wing media — doesn’t exist. Most immigrants are not criminals. They are our coworkers and classmates. Our neighbors and friends. They are nurses, construction workers, teachers and small business owners. They are parents raising children who will shape the future of this country. They are striving young people, eager to contribute.

Those of us who work in this space know this well. And yet we spend far too much time refuting hysteria — that immigrants are invading, draining or destroying the country. These lies are exhausting, and more importantly, they’re dangerous.

The truth? Immigrants are building America every day. They fuel our economy, care for our families and enrich our culture. And in a rare moment of candor, even Trump acknowledged their contributions— before Miller reeled him back in. Data shows today’s immigrants are integrating and advancing just as past generations did, with higher educational attainment, growing economic mobility and deep community roots. And with an aging workforce and slowing population growth, immigrants are not just a benefit. They’re essential to America’s future prosperity.

But facts alone aren’t enough. To change the narrative, we must not only reject the lies. We must make the case for immigration and share our experiences day in and day out. We must communicate and share the real story of immigration in the U.S.: one of struggle and sacrifice, yes — but also one of perseverance, contribution and success.

There are countless powerful examples. The Mexican father, a landscaper, who raised three sons — all of whom proudly serve as U.S. Marines. Or the young woman from Brazil who arrived at age seven and is now pursuing a nursing degree. Or the owners of Las Guerreras, who built a thriving restaurant and provides good jobs to more than 15 employees. These are not just immigrant stories. They are American stories. And every year, the Carnegie Corporation highlights this truth in its annual list of remarkable naturalized citizens released on the Fourth of July, reminding us that immigrants continue to shape, serve and strengthen our nation.

Not every immigrant story is perfect. But the vast majority are stories of hard work, hope and belonging that are borne out by decades of academic research and daily experience in communities across the country.

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Now it is time to move beyond “shock and awe” at the cruelty of Trump-era tactics. We must use this moment to ask deeper questions: Why do people come to the U.S.? What happens when they arrive? And how do we build a 21st-century immigration system that reflects both our values and our interests?

The MAGA movement wants us to believe immigration is a threat, not a resource. That the only “solution” is more walls, more detention, more deportations. But what we’re seeing — right now, in real time — is where that path leads: the violation of our fundamental rights, economic instability, broken families and entire communities living in fear.

Americans are rejecting this vision. And we must go further: we must reclaim the conversation—at our dinner tables, and in our schools, our churches, our neighborhoods. We must open up the conversation of who immigrants really are by sharing our journeys, our stories and the facts.

Because here’s what the MAGA movement won’t say: when Ronald Reagan first used the phrase “Make America Great Again,” he was also referring to immigrants. On Labor Day in 1980, in the middle of a heated presidential campaign, he said immigrants “came here to work. They came to build. And they brought with them courage and the values of family, work and freedom. Let us pledge to each other that we can make America great again.”

In this moment when entire communities are under attack, let’s make it clear that immigrants have always been central to America’s recipe of success — and they always will be.