Five Steps to Reduce Activism Fatigue

Dear John,

Are you getting tired of political activisim and feel that your efforts are just not winning? H.R. 2, The Secure Border Act, has passed the House and its companion has been introduced in the Senate, but nothing conclusive has happened!

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., November 14, 2023 Elizabeth Franz, Reuters

You asked Congress to attach H.R. 2, or at least the most impactful core of it, as an amendment to any "must pass" bill. Yet even that didn't succeed 45 days ago under Speaker McCarthy. Now, the brand-new House Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed, and the House has passed, a two-step "clean" continuing resolution. This means, yet again, there are absolutely no conditions attached to it regarding border or interior enforcement, or any other immigration-related changes.

I don't blame you if you're asking, "When will we win the battle and achieve a sensible immigration policy?"

At NumbersUSA, we share your frustration, but we do not share the fatigue. Why? Because what you have helped us accomplish is filled with wins that matter to our nation. Yes, today's headlines feel like this Administration has taken what was a slippery slope of immigration and tilted it up on its end like the back of a dump truck! They've opened up the border with lawless asylum practices, abuse of parole powers, and by generally refusing to faithfully enforce our current laws. However, during our 27-year history, NumbersUSA, with your help, has stopped between 20 to 40 million people from coming into our nation. We call these "defensive wins." These have happened even in the last 60 days and continue to occur while we build up to "offensive wins" such as having true policy change occur with H. R. 2

20 to 40 Million?

Let me help you step back and look at what YOU have done and the successes YOU have had.

Why is that last part about green cards important? Because any person who has a green card is on a citizenship track, and can, in turn, sponsor others. This is done on average at a rate of 3.4 persons per immigrant. This is the chain migration that occurs with the average immigrant who becomes a legal permanent resident. So, the 4 million becomes 12 million and the 11 million becomes 37 million and the 12 million becomes 40 million.

In addition to those large defensive wins against amnesty, sprinkled throughout every Congress for the last 15 years has been a series of efforts to legally increase the number of immigrants being brought into the United States to lower wages, compete with US citizens for jobs, reduce your access to medical resources in your community, and make your taxes go to pay for the education and housing of people who are illegally present.

Maybe most importantly, because YOU made your voice heard, your activism was central in getting the best border bill in modern history, H.R. 2, passed through the House. The repeated Continuing Resolutions means that H.R. 2 is still the standard for all current border negotiations and it is still in play. The Senate hasn't had a comprehensive immigration enforcement bill with 31 cosponsors in at least a generation, like their H.R. 2 companion does. It is the go-to legislation for immigration reform.

How to Refresh:

Is your voice getting tired? Do you feel you are belting into the rafters and your strained voice is not being heard? Well, there are nearly 50 million reasons I pointed to above to know that is not the case.

As Congress takes a breath during this time of Continuing Resolution, I want to encourage you to do several things to renew your energy and determination for the battle ahead, a battle to secure the border and change the tide of this long-suffering war in which you are engaged. This is a battle to achieve an "offensive win" that brings actual change in immigration policy.

1)	Go here to your Action Board and send one more message to all of your elected officials, in the House and in the Senate to keep the pressure on that you demand the government secure the border and that the best way to do that is H.R. 2 and its Senate companion.
2)	Take time this upcoming week to be thankful for this nation in which your voice CAN be heard.
3)	For a bit of fun go to this website in respect to opera divas of the past and present, and remember that "It's not over until the Liberty Lady sings and is heard!" and that you are Lady Liberty's voice. It is YOU, the citizens, activists, and voters of America who have the privilege of electing those who serve us in Congress and in the White House.
4)	Tell your friends and family to join you in your efforts to achieve a better immigration system for our nation. Encourage them to 1) Visit www.numbersUSA.com. 2) If they want shortcuts to the key issues of the day, send them to https://linktr.ee/numbersusa. 3) If they are younger or more likely to use their phone, send them this email with this easy to scan QR Code.
5)	Take a moment to visit this web site of encouragement, www.passiton.org and remember that better immigration policy allows for better quality of life.

FINALLY, WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT so that we are able to go full out starting in January when Congress returns to address funding the government and the border crisis. The crisis will still be there. H.R. 2 will still be the most available and complete solution to solve the border crisis. NumbersUSA, with your voice behind us, will still be fighting the battle to help voters achieve a better immigration policy

James Massa
CEO, NumbersUSA