Looking Past Manufactured Crisis Narratives: Grounded Solutions for the Border and Beyond

This Article presents a solutions-oriented approach to engaging with the complex landscape of political, legal, and humanitarian issues at the United States-Mexico border. It proceeds in three parts. Part II illustrates the counterproductive effects of the border crisis narrative in localities across the interior of the country and in recent negotiations in Washington, D.C. Part III discusses effective border interventions grounded in local expertise, including examples which demonstrate that while federal preemption forbids states from interfering with immigration enforcement, states are within their rights to enact policies and stand up efforts to improve the reception and treatment of immigrants in their territories. Part IV discusses the state of border policy litigation strategies and why the immigrants’ rights movement must be willing to adjust its defensive strategies amidst the shifting offense of the anti-immigrant right. The Article concludes that instead of seeking to bury border challenges to avoid crisis narratives altogether, the immigrants’ rights movement must engage with the border, but it must do so in a manner that centers solutions and preserves capacity for flexibility.