Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said: “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”
On the issue of American border security and immigration laws reform, that journey may be close to starting that single step with the enactment of the Laken Riley bill in Congress.
Riley, a University of Georgia student, was murdered last February while jogging on the university campus.
Her convicted murderer had been detained three times since arriving illegally in the United States but the U.S. Border Patrol and police in New York and Georgia released him from custody each time.
Riley’s murder as well as the circumstances surrounding it generated widespread national and international media coverage. That coverage led to intense and sustained public outrage.
As a result, last March the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley bill allowing federal detention of illegal immigrants arrested for committing certain crimes in the United States.
Based on opposition from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the House passed bill was never brought up for a vote in the Senate.
Countless Americans viewed this lack of action as more affirmation that federal immigration policies and procedures needed major changes. Many Americans also concluded major changes were needed with border security and immigration policy makers in Washington D.C.
Sensing that way of thinking, then Presidential candidate Donald Trump and Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and the U.S House of Representatives branded themselves as change artists. They did so in two ways.
They effectively utilized the communications and messaging counsel of Frank Luntz:
“The key to successful communication is to take the imaginative leap of stuffing yourself into your listener’s shoes to know what they are thinking and feeling in the deepest recesses of their mind and heart. Get your audience to visualize… imagine. Only when people can see a better future will they consider a change.”
They also effectively utilized the communications and messaging counsel of Adam Grant:
“It’s better to overcommunicate and sound redundant than to under-communicate and seem unclear and uncaring. It turns out that repeating yourself is vital to effective communication. Psychologists have long demonstrated that with repeated exposure to ideas, we start to like them more. The greatest barrier to communication is the illusion that it occurred. Reinforcing a message makes it more familiar and more memorable.”
Donald Trump and Republican candidates did that and did it exceptionally well.
As a result, Donald Trump achieved the greatest political comeback in American history. Trump’s coattails also helped elect Republican majorities in the House and the Senate.
Trump and the Republican Congressional leadership know they have to move quickly to demonstrate to the public that they are taking measurable steps to deliver on a better future.
The first step was to re-introduce this year, another Laken Riley bill in the House and make it the first policy vote of the 119th Congress.
It is working so far.
The reintroduced Laken Riley bill was approved in the House with the support of all the Republican House members and forty-eight of the Democratic House members.
Unlike last year, the House bill has been moving quickly through the Senate also with bi-partisan support.
All indications are it will be sent to President Trump soon for signing into law.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman said, “I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego said, “We must give law enforcement the means to take action when illegal immigrants break the law to prevent situations like what occurred to Laken Riley. I will continue to fight for the safety of Arizonans by pushing for comprehensive immigration reform and increased border security.”
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly said, “I support this effort because federal authorities need to protect our communities from criminals. Keeping Arizonans safe is my top priority, and I’m committed to working with Republicans and Democrats on solutions to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system.”
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “While I do not support this particular bill, I stand ready to work with both sides to pass smart, effective, tough and commonsense legislation to secure our borders and reform our immigration system.”
While there is still no consensus on the details, bi-partisan support going forward for further legislation indicates that a growing number of Democratic members of Congress are accepting the clear messages from voters in the 2024 election cycle.
There is no question a wide range of different opinions between Republicans and Democratic lawmakers on exactly how best to proceed are far from resolved.
That said we can all hope the enactment of the Laken Riley Law will be the first step on a long bi-partisan journey to achieve meaningful border security and immigration reform.
David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant in Easton.
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