In a new op-ed published at The Hill, PRRI Director of Research Diana Orcés, Ph.D., reflects on her personal journey as an immigrant in the United States, contrasting it with the harsher attitudes towards migrants held by many Americans today. Drawing on her research at PRRI, Orcés highlights shifting public attitudes toward immigration, noting that even among groups historically opposed to immigration, only a minority (35%) support the use of internment camps for undocumented immigrants. She emphasizes the vital contributions immigrants make to American society and warns about the consequences of the Trump administration’s increasingly hardline approach:
“I was fortunate to have the safety and support that many are denied today. But today’s policies dehumanize immigrants and corrode the democratic ideals that drew me here.
When fear and mistrust dominate and legal protections weaken, we all lose. The real question is not just how we treat immigrants, but what kind of society we want to be.”
Read the full op-ed here.
Find more op-eds and interviews from PRRI leadership here.
