Opinion: Instead of vilifying immigrants, Boebert should focus on actual policy reform
Rep. Lauren Boebert does a disservice to the constituents of the 3rd Congressional District. She was elected to represent our beautiful district in Congress to tackle the issues facing everyday Coloradans. Yet instead of governing, Boebert spends most of her time peddling conspiracy theories and spreading lies, most recently about immigration.
I’m running for Congress against Lauren Boebert because I believe that now, more than ever, our elected officials need to come together to solve the real issues facing Americans, not sow division with dishonesty.
In a recent opinion column, Boebert resorted to name-calling, hyperbole, and misinformation about the border and, regrettably, immigrant members of our own communities. President Joe Biden did not create a “crisis” at the southern border. No president could create this situation in just four short months. This is a complex problem that chanting “build the wall” simply will not fix. There are chronic, systemic issues at play here, and I applaud this administration for tapping Vice President Kamala Harris to address the root causes of these migrations from South and Central America rather than just wasting tax dollars on a wall.
Everyone agrees that we need a secure border to protect our national security. Counter to Boebert’s claims, Democrats are not calling for open borders. Such distortions intentionally mislead the public, foster distrust, and make finding a solution all the more difficult.
And as we all know, individuals have been crossing our southern border for generations. Over a million people were apprehended each year throughout the 1980’s,1990’s and 2000’s until about 2007, when those numbers dropped off significantly. It is estimated that during that time up to double that number were “got away’s” (Customs and Border Protection’s term for those who successfully evade capture). Last month, CBP estimated about 40,000 “got away,” a 75% drop from the early 2000’s, which shows that we have made sustained progress on this front.
Furthermore, undocumented immigrants are not a drain on our economy, as Boebert would have you believe. Numerous nonpartisan studies show their contributions greatly outweigh any societal cost. Yet in order to push this false narrative, Boebert resorts to citing studies from Tanton Network fronts FAIR & CIS and then mischaracterizes those same studies.
Contrary to Boebert’s assertions, undocumented immigrants do not qualify for public benefits. The old CIS study she cites on public benefits has been widely denounced for its fuzzy math, but of course, Boebert fails to note this in her article. Rather than demonize these hard-working members of our communities, Boebert should focus on coming up with real solutions to benefit all of her constituents.
Boebert also conflates individuals at our border with the long-term immigrants who have called CD 3 home for decades. The vast majority (around 85%) are family members of U.S. citizens. They are literally our family, friends, neighbors, and fellow church parishioners. I talk to farmers and ranchers on a weekly basis who complain of labor shortages. Our hospitals, hotels, and even our top ski resorts face chronic shortages, as well. Rather than “taking jobs away from American citizens,” immigrant workers perform jobs that are vital to our economy, jobs that put food on our tables, jobs that may otherwise go unfilled. Unfortunately, no visa currently exists for most essential positions, so employees and employers are left without any viable, legal option.
As a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, I routinely work with Democrats and Republicans to pass legislation that will benefit my constituents, because I believe that good policy trumps partisanship. Back in 2013, senators from both parties came together to form the “Gang of Eight” in an effort to address immigration reform. While the final bill they produced was not perfect, it at least demonstrated that Republicans and Democrats could come together to try to tackle immigration reform. We need that kind of political will today, and we need Boebert to work with fellow members of Congress to modernize our immigration system. This includes legalizing our long-term undocumented population, updating our antiquated visa system to better meet our economic needs, and crafting smart policies to improve border governance.
Now is not the time to play partisan politics. In order to solve the most pressing issues of our time, such as immigration, members of both parties are going to have to stop talking past each other and start working together. Coloradans come together to find solutions for problems not as members of one party or the other, but as friends and neighbors with a common goal. If Boebert is unwilling or unable to bring that approach to Washington, she needs to be replaced.
Donald Valdez is a fifth-generation Coloradan rancher and farmer, who currently represents HD-62 in the Colorado House of Representatives. He is running for Congress in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. You can find his website at donaldvaldez.com and on Twitter at @DonaldValdezCO.
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