A Winning Message on Immigration, with Beatriz Lopez
In the 2024 presidential election, Republicans spent nearly $600 million on political advertisements pounding Biden (and then Harris) for botching the border. The Democrats’ uninspiring message in response was: “No we didn’t.” Ever wonder why Republicans dominate the national conversation on immigration, while Democratic politicians seem reluctant to talk about it?
Beatriz Lopez is a veteran political strategist and immigration advocate with a story to tell: Why Democrats long ago decided to treat immigration as a “losing issue,” how the MAGA message machine filled the void with anti-immigrant scapegoating, and how a vocally pro-immigrant message can be both popular and effective.
In This Episode
- Introduction
- Who is Beatriz Lopez?
- When did Democrats decide immigration was a losing issue?
- Then Trump comes along…
- Big warning signs in 2024
- $10.5 billion on election ads
- “The majority of people aren’t anti-immigrant; they’re anti-chaos.”
- Elon Musk and the anti-immigrant message machine
- When John Fetterman pushed back with a positive message
- What is the opposite of political courage?
- Beatriz spills some tea
- Jonathan Blitzer’s book and the legacy of Rahm Emanuel
- So there’s vibes, and then there’s data…
- Nobody has delivered on citizenship
- “I mean really, *really* do communications work…”
- How has public opinion shifted since 2025?
- “As an avid consumer of Instagram…”
- The Met Gala is like The Hunger Games
- What would you say to a persuadable voter in 30 seconds?
- What gives you hope?
- Conclusion
Learn More
Amanda, Claire, and Doug express their own personal opinions on The Melting Pod. This episode was produced by Michael Palmer (palmer.media). Read more about the topics in this episode:
Voto Latino
Shepherding the Latino community towards full realization of its political power
Immigration Attitudes
Collection of MPI Analysis Related to Biden Administration Actions on Immigration
Elon Musk’s misleading election claims reach millions and alarm election officials
U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman releases immigration video for Thanksgiving
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis
Give More
Want to help build a more sane and humane immigration system? Support hardworking organizations like these:
National
Working to ensure the U.S. keeps its promise to our Afghan allies
The country’s largest membership organization of asylum seekers, working together for change
Organizing and advocating for racial, social and economic justice
Providing humanitarian, legal, and social services
Strategic litigation and advocacy to uphold the rights of people seeking safety
Immigrant justice through litigation and storytelling
Local
Legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the U.S. and Tijuana
Providing assistance to the poor and most vulnerable populations in the Rio Grande Valley community
Free and low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees in West Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
The Reality-Based Economics of Immigration, with Jenny Hunt
Jenny Hunt is a Rutgers University professor, the former Chief Economist at the Department of Labor, and a key contributor to the gold-standard, 600-page consensus report on the economic consequences of immigration. Economists agree that immigration makes native-born Americans wealthier on average, expands the U.S. economy, and has positive long-term effects on government budgets. The main debate is over the impact of immigration on the wages of Americans without a high school education – and they would be helped far more by a stronger social safety net than by restricting immigration. So what’s the anti-immigrant movement really about…?
Next EpisodeThree Big Lies About Immigrants and Fraud, with Sonya Schwartz
From the first moments of his first campaign for president, Donald Trump has accused immigrants of fraudulently obtaining public benefits, immigration protections, and even votes. Does any of this hold up under scrutiny? We asked Sonya Schwartz, who knows more than just about anyone about the complex intersection of immigration, public benefits, and voting laws. She has the data to debunk all three of MAGA’s big lies about immigrants and fraud, and how this scapegoating leads to policies that harm all of us – from millions of families losing food assistance to voter ID laws that would block U.S. citizens from the polls. Meanwhile, some of the country’s worst actual fraudsters are getting pardoned instead of prosecuted.