Mediaboss Marketing

Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, STAFF / San Antonio Express-News

Immigration advocate Ali Norani speaks Thursday July 13, 2017.

Immigration advocate Ali Norani speaks Thursday July 13, 2017.

Immigration advocate Ali Norani speaks Thursday July 13, 2017 at the Plaza Club to the World Affairs Council.

Immigration advocate Ali Norani speaks Thursday July 13, 2017 at the Plaza Club to the World Affairs Council.

Immigration expert: Debate not about policy, its about culture

A well-known immigration expert speaking in San Antonio on Thursday borrowed from the presidents campaign platform and a recent release from a Broadway star to illustrate the polar opposites of the U.S. immigration debate.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said immigration is too often presented as a political issue with two sides, America First, a slogan with a controversial history championed by President Donald Trump, and Immigrants get the job done, a reference to the recent release Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) by musician and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The people who get lost in the debate are those who want to live in an America that puts Americans First, but also want to live in America that is welcoming and inclusive, said Noorani, who spoke at the Plaza Club on Thursday. He was invited by the World Affairs Council of San Antonio and the Mexican Consulate General in San Antonio.

Noorani is the author of There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration, released this year. He said he interviewed 60 people across the country, mostly faith, law enforcement and business leaders, for the book.

What I found was, for the majority of Americans, the immigration debate is not about politics and policy, its about culture, Noorani said

There is a fear among many Americans that immigration will change their way of life and change the culture of the U.S. Noorani, who advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that would provide a pathway to citizenship for those here illegally who meet certain criteria and a reform of the legal immigration system, said its perilous for immigration activists to not take their opponents concerns seriously.

By reaching out to them through religious, business and law enforcement leaders traditional conservative allies who tend to oppose draconian immigration laws those pushing for immigration reform can win over skeptics, he said.

I firmly believe that the majority of Americans, they respect or they love the Jose or Mohammad that they know, but they still have questions about the Jose or the Mohammad that they dont know, he said.

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlbuch

See more here:
Immigration expert: Debate not about policy, it's about culture - San Antonio Express-News (subscription)