Pro-immigration Group Launches A Political Arm To Combat Trump’s Agenda

A top immigration advocacy group on Tuesday announced the launch of a new political arm to combat Donald Trump’s agenda and help Democrats proactively message on an issue that has long challenged the party.

With the latest move from Immigration Hub, a pro-immigration group that was born in 2017 in response to Trump’s first administration, advocates plan to drive major political advertising campaigns to counter the incoming president’s policy plans, which include rapidly ramping up deportations. The group’s political arm, called Catalyze/Citizens, will also work to expand Immigration Hub’s reach by countering disinformation about immigrants, including by pushing for reforms to a liability shield that allows platforms to disseminate content without being held liable for it. The group’s plans were shared first with POLITICO.

The organization hopes to help turn the tide for Democrats on the vexing policy issue. As the party reckons with its 2024 loss, strategists note that the party’s pivot to a tougher stance on migration this cycle ultimately wasn’t enough to combat years of GOP dominance on immigration: Republicans outspent Democrats five to one on broadcast ads, according to an analysis of AdImpact data from Catalyze/Citizen’s new “Right-Wing Playbook.

“The past decade has marked a dangerous shift: the mainstreaming of authoritarian ideology and the systematic spread of anti-immigrant narratives,” said Beatriz Lopez, co-executive director of Immigration Hub and Catalyze/Citizens. “Catalyze/Citizens emerged from a clear conviction — we need a robust response that matches, competes and wins against the extreme right’s anti-immigrant, anti-democratic narratives.”

Republicans were able to successfully frame immigration as a national threat this cycle, amplifying false narratives around immigrant crime, “invasions” and President Joe Biden’s border policies. Total spending on immigration-focused television ads across 12 battleground presidential and Senate states from January to October totaled $680.5 million, with 84 percent of this spending coming from Republicans, according to the analysis.

Republicans’ ads zeroed in on Vice President Kamala Harris’ role as “border czar” and slammed her over President Joe Biden’s “open border” policies. These ads flooded the airwaves after Harris was elevated to the top of the ticket.

Trump has said he will conduct deportations at a scale never seen before and has vowed to quickly undo several Biden administration policies. Immigrants’ rights groups have spent the last year preparing for a second Trump term and an overhaul to the nation’s immigration system, analyzing Trump’s proposals, drafting legal briefs, coordinating messaging and organizing aid for immigrants and asylum seekers.

But the latest effort is among the first political counter moves from the left, as advocates brace for immigration to remain a top political issue in the midterms and again in 2028. Democrats are at a crossroads in the movement, circling to nail down a message that counters Trump’s agenda while also responding to voters’ increasing concerns about border security and the nation’s broken immigration system.

The growing politicization of the issue has damaged Democrats in Washington who have struggled to combat an onslaught of GOP attacks. It wasn’t until this year that the party coalesced around an attack line, blaming Trump for the collapse of the bipartisan border deal and calling for common-sense solutions to address the crisis. The strategy pulled a page from Rep. Tom Suozzi’s playbook after he won his February special election in New York by running on strengthening border security.

The next two years will be key as Democratic leaders work to undo the damage. Immigration leaders on the left argue that the party must address voters’ concerns about border security while also rejecting Trump’s “extreme” policies, which they believe will ultimately turn off swing voters and moderates who they believe want a balanced approach to the border.

“With the transition to a new administration that has pledged to reverse the progress made in recent years, we can expect far-reaching, inhumane and lasting changes on America’s immigration system,” said Kerri Talbot, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub.