“A caste system is an artificial construction, a fixed and embedded ranking of human value that sets the presumed supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups.”
― Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Last year, a dangerous and despotic Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law SB 4, heralding the legislation as a form of defense in his war against President Biden’s immigration policies that have apparently left Texas unsafe and vulnerable. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, Texas is privileged to be the second state in the union with the largest immigrant population that has contributed over $40 billion in federal and state taxes, with a spending power of more than $110 billion. According to a report by the Immigration Research Initiative and Every Texan:
“Once provided a work permit, new immigrants earn an average of $20,000 in their first year, which increases to $29,000 by their fifth year living in Texas. [...] For every 1,000 workers, immigrants and asylum seekers contribute $2.6 million to state and local taxes within their first year of eligibility. Far from a burden on Texas communities, newly arrived immigrants and asylum seekers are as essential to our state’s economy as they are to our families and communities.”
Abbott and the state have reaped from the contributions of immigrant families, regardless of immigration status, only to waste millions in taxpayer dollars to cruelly militarize the border against their own border communities and the children and families seeking refuge and safety. With SB 4, Abbott and Texas would make it a felony for any undocumented immigrant to enter the state and empower local law enforcement and state judges to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants.
In all its essence, the Texas law codifies a caste.
If you are undocumented or if you look like one, you are to be shunned and you are made to fear for your life. And if you choose to risk your life by staying in Texas, you are no longer a human, you are a shadow unworthy to settle on the land of the free. This law intends to dehumanize mothers, fathers, coming of age individuals, and children too young to remember or understand the signs of fascism.
While SB 4 remains in judicial hold thanks in large part to 5th Circuit Court and the relentless legal expertise and passionate advocacy of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, ACLU of Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, and many other Texas immigrant rights advocates, the threat of the law still looms large as the conservative U.S. Supreme Court seems ready to unleash the unconstitutional havoc that SB 4 promises (and boy are there many!).
Equally concerning is the domino effect that Texas Republican lawmakers have flicked into gear. Iowa passed a bill that “would make it a crime to enter their state after having been deported or denied entry into the United States.” This is a state that - no matter how much they try to “shrink smart” - in 2022 lost nearly 7,300 people who moved out of the state and yet “gained nearly 7,300 international migrants,” according to the Iowa paper, The Gazette. Immigrants have helped rural Iowa remain somewhat vibrant, and still the state decides to ban immigrants. Iowa Republicans are not alone in their bigoted stupidity. Florida (never one to stay behind the grift), Kansas, Oklahoma, and other GOP-governed states are seeking to pass Texas copycat-laws.
These states are building rickety and racist borders around their states, regardless of the self-inflicted wounds they’ll bear and the harm to families. Even more callous than banning abortion and IVF, these states intend to ban people.
There is a moral, political and economic imperative to be outraged and act. This is a tipping point. Look at everything Trump, Abbott, DeSantis, and the majority of Republicans have said or done against immigrants. They’ve spent millions upon millions trying to convince Americans that immigrants are criminals, freeloaders, animals and threats to our public safety. They are willing to sink a boat full of Haitian children and families fleeing from deadly violence than reach out their arms and pull them into safe harbor. They are willing to cover land with barbed wire than welcome asylum seekers into safety. It’s beyond cruel, it’s a declaration of dominance.
Democrats cannot, should not, be bystanders.
“Evil asks little of the dominant caste other than to sit back and do nothing. All that it needs from bystanders is their silent complicity in the evil committed on their behalf, though a caste system will protect, and perhaps even reward, those who deign to join in the terror.”
― Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Biden and Democrats need to go on offense beyond using the bipartisan border deal to counter Republicans. Whether or not the Biden administration goes “nuclear” and takes executive action to address the border, Biden and the Democratic establishment, from candidates to operatives to progressive groups, need to use Trump, Abbott and the lot as foils and ground their messaging on humanizing the narrative. The data-driven messaging formula that I’ve devised works: Acknowledge the problem, pivot to shared values and solutions, and lastly define and counter your opponent. Talking about a balanced approach to fixing our immigration system, addressing both border security and a pathway to citizenship, offers an opportunity to elevate the people who are integral to our nation's present and future success.
This isn’t just the right thing to do for America’s humanity and the sake of our souls, it’s a galvanizing and winning message. If we don’t put money behind it, if our Democratic friends don’t stump on it or socialize it with intention and vivacity, Trump and Republicans will exert their supremacy over immigration and the very people who unconditionally love everything this country stands for – freedom and opportunity.
Incredible work you're doing here, Beatriz, thank you for your public service.