How to Advocate for Immigration Reform
Immigration is an issue that evokes passionate opinions from many people. If you want to get involved by advocating for immigration reform, there are a number of steps that you can take. Regardless of your position, there are several things that you can do to have an impact. Although it seems that individual voices make little difference, they can still be important.
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Instructions
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Read both the arguments for and the arguments against your position.
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Walk the walk if you're going to talk the talk. If you want to put a moratorium on immigration, then don't hire illegal immigrants to do your landscaping. Likewise, if you want to just give a pass to immigrants who have broken the law and call that reform, don't scream when someone else gets off at your expense.
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Be winsome. Whatever you do, and whatever position you take, make your position appealing (while still being truthful).
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Focus on something other than the horror stories. Horror stories have their place (whether they concern the crimes of illegal immigrants or the economic conditions of other countries), but you need good arguments. Not all illegal immigrants commit crimes, for instance. However, you can use horror stories as excellent weapons against untruthfully rosy pictures painted by one side or the other.
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Start at the local level. Get in touch with your neighbors and your local government officials. Don't just be involved in local life and local government for this issue alone, but be continually active. Make sure people know who you are and know that you stand with integrity on more than one issue.
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Consider carefully whether a trip to Washington, D.C., will do any good. Chances are you don't have the money or the fame to influence a Federal politician, so it is best not to waste too much time and effort in this arena. Writing to and calling your representative and senators may be a good idea, but don't count on it doing much good. Consider spending more time on Step 5.
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Tips & Warnings
Since the definition of the phrase "immigration reform" varies so widely, these steps are fairly general. Nevertheless, they can help you regardless of the particulars of your vision for immigration.
