As Democrats take a rightward shift on immigration, progressives warned that the tough rhetoric that may have worked for Tom Suozzi in New York’s special election Tuesday won’t necessarily work nationwide.
“It’s something we have to be cautious about,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told NOTUS when asked about the messaging shift. “We shouldn’t be afraid. Immigration is popular in this country. … We shouldn’t be afraid of our values.”
Suozzi’s stances on immigration and the border were widely credited with his victory. Early Wednesday, Sen. Chris Murphy circulated a memo to Democrats arguing that Republicans had presented Democrats with “a unique, unprecedented opening to go on the offensive on border security and immigration.” Murphy argued that too many in the party were stuck in a “defensive crouch” on the border and that while Democrats’ main priority on immigration — a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people — was still a priority, Suozzi’s election showed it needed to be framed “inside a message that prioritizes strong and fair border policies.”