MYTH: There's an invasion at the U.S. southern border
FACT: When weary asylum seekers cross the border and immediately surrender to Border Patrol agents, it's hardly an invasion. These are people who are often fleeing violence and poverty. They want to work and contribute to U.S. society. Many are families with babies and toddlers. Most of the U.S./Mexico border is in remote, desolate areas where you're unlikely to see another person. Ha ha!! I know how to edit!
MYTH: Migrants Are Criminals and Should Be Feared
FACT: Statistically, people who are born in the U.S. are more likely to commit crimes than immigrants are.
MYTH: Migrants make the border unsafe
FACT: We feel very safe around migrants, who are grateful for humanitarian aid. However, we're deeply concerned about the presence of heavily-armed extremists at the border, many with criminal records. As migrants are vilified, it's hate groups on the far right that pose a greater threat to the safety and security of our country.
MYTH: Migrants are responsible for the Fentanyl crisis
MYTH: Migrants leave a lot of trash
FACT: Have you seen the trash after a football game or music festival? Asylum seekers are often forced to leave belongings behind (even important documents and prescriptions) as they enter the U.S. Often there are no trash cans or dumpsters available where people cross and present for asylum. Imagine being forced to fit all your possessions in a gallon Ziploc bag.
MYTH: Immigrants Are a Drain on Taxpayers
FACT: Refugees in the U.S. contributed almost $124 BILLION to the federal budget between 2005 and 2019, according to a 2024 report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Undocumented immigrants contribute billions of dollars a year to Social Security, but may never collect retirement benefits.
FACT: In June 2024, the American Immigration Council released research highlighting the crucial role immigrants play in Michigan's population growth, labor force, business creation, and consumer spending power.
In 2022, immigrant households in Michigan earned $31.3 billion in income and contributed $67.8 billion to the area’s gross domestic product (GDP), or 9.9% of the total GDP for that year. While immigrants represent 6.9 % of Michigan's population, they represent 8.4% of Michigan’s working-age population and employed labor force.
MYTH: Migration is a Recent Issue
FACT: Humans have migrated throughout history. If you live in the U.S., your ancestors likely migrated here, unless you're of Native American descent. Migration is fundamental to survival, due to changes in weather, availability of food, water, and other resources, and desperation to escape violence and oppression.
MYTH: Immigration is Only an Issue in the U.S.
FACT: Many nations are wrestling with increased immigration due to effects of poverty, violence, and climate change. This is a global humanitarian issue.
MYTH: Just Come Here Legally
People from countries with high levels of immigration to the U.S. (including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, China, and the Phillipines) must wait more than 20 YEARS for a visa to become available. If your daughter has been raped or your spouse has been murdered, you don't have the luxury of waiting that long. You are forced to flee now.
To come for work in the U.S., highly-skilled, educated applicants must prove they have jobs lined up with prospective employers who sponsor them. For "less skilled" immigrants, such as farm workers, there are only a limited number of temporary, seasonal opportunities. This is not only a hardship for those who are eager to work, it's a burden for U.S. employers who can't find enough workers.
For those awaiting appointments at ports of entry using the new "CBP One" app, the wait time is typically 6-8 months. The app requires having a device such as an iPad, internet access, and applications are available only in three languages (English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole).
Families must wait for appointments in shelters or dangerous towns in northern Mexico, where they are often robbed, assaulted, tortured, and killed. "Just come legally" is not as simple as it sounds.
MYTH: Border Walls Stop Migration
FACT: Most migration surges occur where there IS a border wall. Smugglers with an ordinary metal saw and generator can cut through the vertical beams (or bollards) of a border wall in minutes. People climb over and tunnel under walls. Walls are toppled by heavy rains. It's physically impossible to build a wall in some mountainous areas. Walls are costly (about $20 million per mile) and are harmful to wildlife and the environment.
MYTH: If enough people die while crossing the border, it will keep others from trying
FACT: This policy, called "Prevention Through Deterrence," doesn't work. The idea was that by making crossing between ports of entries so dangerous, people wouldn't attempt it. Yet more than 4,200 people have died in Arizona in the last 20 years. Many more go missing and are never found. People continue to come as risks are perceived to be lower than the certainties they face back home.
MYTH: If you put out water, it encourages people to cross
FACT: People cross the border where there is water. They cross where there isn't. Putting out water means fewer people will die.
MYTH: People who aid migrants and asylum seekers are breaking the law
FACT: Humane Borders stations are permitted by property owners and managers. Our work is benevolent, lawful, and nonpartisan, supported by donations from individuals and organizations. Some argue it's our own government that's breaking the law, the United States Refugee Act of 1980. Enacted by the 96th Congress, it provides for asylum, assistance, and resettlement opportunities for those who face persecution, torture, and death if returned to their home country.
MYTH: Immigration is political
FACT: It shouldn't be. What's overlooked in the border debate is the human suffering that's occurring on our own soil. America is a nation of immigrants; the Statue of Liberty reminds us to "Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Matthew 25:35 proclaims, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." We need to put humanity before politics. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” If there's one thing most of us can agree on, it's that people shouldn't die while seeking a better life.
Banner photo credit: Andy Winter, @borderdiaries1
Smaller image credit: Steve Dudrow, @stevedudrow