Evangelical voters want the broken immigration system fixed. Will GOP leaders listen?
A record number of migrants – border agents recorded 2.4 million encounters – crossed the U.S.-Mexican border illegally in fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30.
Americans are increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration’s hapless border policy. It’s a top issue as voters go to the polls Tuesday in the midterm elections.
Evangelicals are among the most influential of those voters and, in new data from Lifeway Research, they told pollsters that they’d like the nation’s leaders to stop posturing and start acting to fix a clearly broken system. Among the evangelicals polled, 71% said it is imperative for Congress to pass immigration reform.
What do evangelicals want in a reform package?
►92% demand legislation that supports the rule of law.
►90% say policy should ensure secure national borders.
►94% say it should be fair to taxpayers.
►78% would support legislation that would both increase border security and establish a rigorous process to earn legal status and apply for citizenship.
Family unity is high priority
And yet, evangelicals want the unity of the family (92%) and human dignity (90%) to be a guiding principle for immigration reform, and 77% favor a path to citizenship for the undocumented if they meet certain criteria.
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Veteran activists understand that while this data is favorable to finding an immigration solution, both political parties are invested in resisting efforts to secure the border and to reform our ineffective immigration system. That's because there is a large incentive to use the issue to drive voters on both sides.
As a result, while the past three presidents have championed reform and have been close to a deal, Congress has failed to get reform to the finish line, seduced every time by the next election.
But a demographic shift might scramble electoral shibboleths and finally force action. As I wrote recently for The Dispatch, if recent electoral trends and recent polling continue, Americans might be witnessing one of the most dramatic shifts in the political map in the modern era.
In 2020, while losing reelection to President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump made significant gains among Hispanic voters, especially in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and in Miami.
Latino and evangelical voters could find common ground
And polling on the 2022 midterms seems to indicate this trend will continue. A recent Quinnipiac University survey indicates Hispanics now slightly favor Republicans. In Texas, a survey shows that GOP gains with Hispanics are enduring. A poll conducted by The New York Times and Sienna College shows a similar pattern, with both parties tied among this growing voting bloc.
Republican Glenn Youngkin, who won the gubernatorial election in blue-trending Virginia last year, won a sizable majority of Hispanic voters, according to exit polls conducted by The Associated Press.
Democrats have alienated immigrants with progressive social policies on abortion, sexuality and race. Meanwhile, Republicans are beginning to see that those who flee authoritarianism and terror often become America’s best patriots, prioritizing God, country and family. They value tough border security, often oppose abortion and in many cases are people of deep faith.
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Most evangelicals understand this, which is why we are among the most welcoming. In the Lifeway Research survey, 51% see immigration as an opportunity to show Christian love, 83% see legal immigration as helpful to the United States, 70% say America has a moral responsibility to accept refugees and 74% say Americans must accept those fleeing religious persecution.
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These attitudes are not surprising, given that many congregations in the United States serve refugees and immigrants in their communities. My own denomination, Southern Baptist, is among the most active in helping resettle, place and care for those fleeing persecution and terror, partnering with World Relief to help equip churches for this kind of ministry. Evangelicals do this guided less by political considerations and more by their faith.
The campaign ads are vicious: Do midterm candidates really hate each other?
So the message from evangelicals to Congress couldn’t be more clear: Please be serious about fixing a broken border and a broken immigration system.
Admittedly, the issue of immigration is complex, and good people will differ on exactly how to proceed. But perhaps the next Congress could begin with a few items: increasing money for border security and passing legislation that allows children brought here illegally a pathway to citizenship.
In doing so, members of Congress would take back their power from the executive branch and the judicial branch, which have filled the vacuum with confusing edicts and inconsistent rulings.
They'd also be listening to a key constituency who are asking our nation’s leaders to do their jobs.
Daniel Darling is the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement and the author of several books, including "The Dignity Revolution" and "A Way With Words."
More from Daniel Darling:
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Evangelical voters could be key to fixing US immigration system
