Building Broad Alliances for Pro-Immigrant Change

In August, the Biden administration announced an executive order, Keeping Families Together, providing a legal pathway for eligible undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens. Estimates suggest that the program would support more than 500,000 long-term immigrants already in the United States, allowing them to apply for permanent residency and work permits and providing stability and protection from deportation. Within the first week, thousands of eligible individuals applied for the program before it was temporarily halted due to legal challenges in Texas.  

The announcement of the executive action came on the heels of a wide-ranging public education and outreach campaign led by Haas Jr. grantee partner the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) and its coalition partners. ABIC’s year-long “Here to Work” campaign rallied together more than 350 businesses and a bipartisan coalition of elected leaders at all levels to highlight the need to expand work permits for long-term immigrant workers already in the United States. It was the latest in many coalition-building efforts led by ABIC since it was established in 2014 as a partnership of business leaders committed to common-sense immigration reforms.

As we navigate a time where coming together seems increasingly difficult and often deemed impossible, the Haas, Jr. Fund recently spoke with ABIC’s founding executive director, Rebecca Shi, about why broad-based coalitions are a key to progress, and what it takes to bring people and sectors together to work for change.  

Q: What is your journey to this work?

Shi: I came to the United States from China when I was 10 years old. My father and I became U.S. citizens when I was in college. My mother lost her legal status and faced the threat of deportation. It was the fear of watching her try to stay safe while we navigated the U.S. immigration system that inspired me to become an immigrant rights organizer. She finally got a green card after living in this country and working and supporting our family for 23 years.  

Q: What is ABIC doing to support immigrants like you and your parents?

Shi: ABIC started as an alliance of business leaders in Chicago and evolved into a coalition of 1,700 CEOs and employers across 21 states. Our work is laser focused on the fact that changing immigration policy means finding allies and common ground. To get to immigration solutions, you have to bring in voices across the spectrum—people, organizations, and interests who can move votes on both sides. We know the business community can be critical in moving more moderate and conservative policymakers, but you also need other interests at the table to show broad support.

Q: The Here to Work campaign is a case in point. A broad coalition came together that succeeded in making a powerful case for change. How important is this win, and how did it come about?

Shi: This was our movement’s biggest win since DACA 12 years ago. Billions of dollars have been spent to vilify immigrants, so winning a policy that lifts up the contributions of immigrants and undocumented people in this country is huge. And it’s the result of bringing business together with labor, immigrant rights groups, and other partners.  

We mobilized 3,000 people to go to Washington, DC last November followed by over 150 local roundtables and press conferences in key geographies to show there is broad support for this kind of change. We were aligned in our messaging, but we also recognized that everyone doesn’t have to speak with the exact same voice—a businessperson is going to say something that a labor person won’t say.  

But the fact that they are in this fight together is what brings momentum to a cause. And then we do the work of trying to activate the different parts of the coalition to connect with the appropriate people where they might have the most influence.

Q: You have helped build campaigns and coalitions around a number of immigration issues over the last decade. What are your top lessons about what works?

Shi: Sometimes you won’t have everyone on board at the start of a campaign. So you have to assess if there’s enough power around the table to make a first move. And if you go forward and you get a positive outcome, then other people see what’s possible and they will jump in further. It’s the action itself that can help grow your coalition and generate more support.

I also find that everything is easier when people have a chance to build genuine relationships. In some campaigns, I felt we were building things while we were flying, but as people learned about each other and about their shared values, there was trust in moving forward together.  

Q: Any thoughts on what it takes to lead a coalition successfully?

Shi: You have to be comfortable with tension. When you are bringing diverse interests together, there will be tension and that’s okay. You just have to work through it. I have been in rooms with business and labor leaders who were on opposite sides on many issues, so I tried to help them focus on areas of agreement and what they can do together. You just need to give people space and grace to do that.  

Q: How can philanthropy further support collaborative campaigns and coalitions?

Shi: I have benefited a lot from connections funders have made for me. So I think that’s an important role: connecting leaders with other potential partners. Funders also need to be comfortable bringing diverse partners together, including groups you might not otherwise support. If you really want to build power, it’s important to think differently about the types of groups and coalitions that will really move an issue.

The last few years have been a very difficult time for our movement. But at the same time we know that a strong majority of people support a path to legal status. So a big part of our job as a movement is to keep broadening that base of support so we aren’t speaking to the choir and so people have no choice but to hear us out.