Last month, people in the crowd at the Republican National Convention cheered while holding signs demanding “Mass Deportation Now!” In June, the Biden-Harris administration unveiled an executive order granting the president authority to temporarily and arbitrarily limit the number of people able to claim asylum at the U.S. southern border. As the 2024 election approaches, far too many politicians across the political spectrum have attempted to demonize immigrants and falsely blame them for myriad problems.

Worldwide humanitarian crises have forced record numbers of people to flee their homes to seek safety and opportunity elsewhere. The majority of people in the United States support asylum for people trying to escape persecution and torture in their homelands and believe migrants deserve a meaningful opportunity to make their case for protection before a judge, according to a January 2024 survey. Yet, far too many leaders are calling for mass deportation and chaotic and cruel policies at the southern border and elsewhere.

Despite anti-immigrant rhetoric, research shows that immigrants add immeasurable value to the United States. Immigrants are more likely to hold jobs that were labeled “essential” during the pandemic lockdowns than people born in the United States. Immigrants comprise more than 15 percent of nurses and more than 27 percent of health aides. There are 3.3 million immigrants in the United States who are entrepreneurs, and a 2022 study found that immigrants or their children founded more than 43 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Immigration has a net positive effect on combined federal, state, and local budgets. Undocumented people also pay an estimated $579.1 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year, including billions of dollars into the social security system, from which they can draw very few, if any, benefits.

Though far too many politicians spread lies linking immigrants to crime, studies of arrests in Texas found that undocumented immigrants have significantly lower arrest rates than people born in the United States. Much research shows that immigration—both documented and undocumented—does not increase crime.

People in the United States know the pain that inhumane immigration policies can cause. More than 1,400 children remain separated from their parents as a result of the Trump administration’s cruel and ineffective effort to indiscriminately deport and deter families from coming to the United States. His current threats—in concert with the Biden-Harris administration’s recent executive order—underscore the need to build systems that promote safety and family unity while protecting immigrants from harmful federal immigration policies.

Unlike in criminal court, people facing deportation in immigration court are not entitled to a lawyer—unless they can afford one. Immigration law and policies are notoriously complicated; an attorney is needed to keep immigrants from being unjustly returned to countries where they may face danger and even death. It is extremely difficult for immigrants to win the right to remain in the United States without an attorney. One study found that detained immigrants with representation are up to 10.5 times more likely to succeed in their legal case than those without.

During the Trump administration, some states and localities sought ways to insulate their community members from cruel policies and urgent injustices. In 2017, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) launched the Safety and Fairness for Everyone Network to help build and support publicly funded deportation defense programs to aid people threatened with family separation and expulsion from their homes. These programs have helped ensure that more people got a fair day in immigration court, regardless of their ability to pay for an attorney.

Today, more than 55 jurisdictions in states across the country have built public defender-style programs, including in California, Georgia, and Texas. Legislators in New York are working on legislation to make it the first state to guarantee a right to counsel for everyone in immigration proceedings. Public sentiment supports these steps. In one survey conducted by Vera, 80 percent of Democrats and a majority of Republicans supported government-funded representation for immigrants facing deportation. It is clear that people across the United States agree that all people in immigration court should have attorneys to protect their rights.

The Fairness to Freedom Act, which would establish the right to a federally funded lawyer for every person facing deportation, is another promising step toward a more just immigration system. A companion bill, the Securing Help for Immigrants through Education and Legal Development (SHIELD) Act, introduced this past July, would establish a $100 million grant program for states and localities to help them develop a legal services workforce for immigrants. The White House also recently announced the creation of a new Justice Department position to improve access to legal representation, the expansion of a program to provide volunteer lawyer support in immigration courtrooms for initial hearings, and more training opportunities for law students.

Immigration has always been central to this country’s history, culture, and economy. As climate change, violence, and economic devastation force record numbers of people in countries around the world to seek safety and opportunity elsewhere, the United States can build an immigration system that ensures just and humane treatment for all. Access to legal representation must be central to that effort. In a land of opportunity, everyone deserves safety and justice, no matter where they were born.