The party has been given a chance to persuade voters that it can offer a better alternative to Republicans on immigration. If Democrats blow it, they may not get another one in 2028.
Rather than wait for the White House, Democrats should act now. They can use their oversight power to slow down mass deportations and pass immigration legislation to put on his desk.
But reining in ICE doesn’t eliminate the need for an affirmative vision. Democrats have to get organized and do both. Any Democratic plan needs to address the border. And the key to doing so lies in the hands of locally elected Democrats. Rather than waiting for the next Democratic president to do better on the issue, the four newly elected Democratic governors along the southern border have an opportunity to rebuild trust now.
From my time working in Washington, I’ve watched policymakers with little understanding of the border region or its economy make decisions that leave residents paying the price through greater instability, higher costs, and disruptions to their daily lives.
This is one area where there may be welcome collaboration from the Trump Administration. Working with federal officials and Mexico, the governors can make clear that Democrats will not tolerate chaos at the border while advancing a new system in which seeking humanitarian protection no longer requires relying on human smugglers to cross illegally into the United States.
As Democrats move to constrain ICE and rebuild trust on the border, they must also respond to the voters who placed their “I Voted” stickers on the memorials of Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Those tributes were reminders that millions of American citizens live alongside neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones who remain vulnerable to deportation because Congress has failed to give them a path to legal status.
An "I Voted" sticker at the memorial for Alex Pretti on Nov. 3, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. —Bridget Bennett—MinnPost/CatchLight via Getty ImagesDoing so may require reaching across the aisle, either to build a veto-proof majority or to collaborate with Trump. Democrats should argue that legalizing undocumented immigrants who have had no chance to access legal status because of a civil immigration violation can be a solution to problems Americans experience every day, from the shortage of workers building new homes to the rising cost of child care. A functioning immigration system should bring in the workers communities need while providing a way for undocumented immigrants already doing those jobs to obtain legal status. These new legal pathways should reflect the needs of the economy, including visas for care workers and construction workers.
Rather than simply investigating the deportation of veterans and military families, Democrats should advance legislation giving legal status to the families of service members and challenge Republicans to oppose it. They should do the same for construction workers needed to build new housing. And they should introduce a bill allowing states to request more visas for industries facing labor shortages and shrinking populations, building on legislation introduced by Senators John Curtis and Mark Kelly. Advance existing bills that help keep rural hospitals open by bringing in the doctors and nurses their communities need. Put each proposal before Congress, ask Republicans to sign on, and give Trump the opportunity to sign it. If he refuses, show Americans what they lose by his inaction.
Americans deserve something neither party has delivered in decades: a fair and functioning immigration system with a secure border, an ICE focused on genuine threats to public safety and national security, and a path to permanent residency for millions of undocumented immigrants already here who have committed no serious crimes. Progress on immigration shouldn’t have to wait for a bill that solves everything at once.
If Trump is serious about reconsidering his policies, Democrats should give him legislation to sign. If he refuses, they should spend the next two years showing Americans what a better immigration system could deliver.
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