Immigration Reform: Border Security and a Path to Citizenship

America’s immigration system is fundamentally flawed, plagued by partisanship and the inability to formulate coherent and comprehensive solutions. RDM is taking positions that will prioritize lasting solutions over shallow political wins. We know that polarization and frustration are putting roadblocks in front of politicians focused on fixing our broken immigration system.

RDM supports practical and compassionate solutions that will secure our border while providing a pathway for eligible, undocumented individuals to become citizens. These solutions are not new, rather the product of bipartisan proposals which were embraced but not previously implemented. While future posts will examine these proposals in greater detail, here we establish the base principles that will guide meaningful reform.

Can We Secure the Border and Expand Legal Immigration at Once?

Let’s begin by addressing the most common misconception about immigration. Too often, politicians present border enforcement and pathways to legal immigration as mutually exclusive. This is simply not true.

Politicians can proverbially walk and chew gum at the same time, focusing on border security and reasonable and compassionate immigration reform. One does not have to happen before the other, and any argument to the contrary is a red herring because the bottom line is that both are required to truly transform our immigration system.

Do Americans Oppose Immigration?

Another misconception is that most Americans do not embrace immigrants. According to a Gallup study in 2025, 79% of Americans say immigration is good for the country, so the rhetoric on the extremes is obscuring the majority view.¹

People understand large-scale deportations will shock the economy, facilitate labor shortages, cause higher prices, separate families, and cause unnecessary pain. The majority of Americans also support strong border enforcement to ensure that immigration is done with an eye on national security, accountability and people are not rewarded for skipping the line when it comes to living in our country.

What Are the Three Pillars of Reform?

RDM’s immigration policy is built on three core pillars: Border security, legal immigration pathways, and a practical plan for undocumented individuals. On border security, protecting US citizens from dangerous criminals, cartel activity, human traffickers, and terrorists is of paramount importance. Moreover, securing our borders ensures that migrants following the rules do not fall behind people attempting to illegally enter. How to best protect the border is the subject of future posts.

How Big Is the Backlog?

Border security can keep undocumented workers from illegally entering the country but does not address how to address the millions of undocumented workers in the United States. Bipartisan problem solvers have agreed that a reasonable pathway to citizenship is crucial, and the current system is outdated, slow, and inefficient. According to the Niskanen Center, the United States Custom and Immigration Service ended fiscal year 2025, with approximately 11.65 million pending cases, which was a 23 percent increase from the prior year.² As this number continues to rise, migrants face even longer delays, higher costs, and even more uncertainty.

What Bipartisan Template Already Exists?

President George W. Bush spearheaded efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform. While President Bush rejected amnesty because he believed it rewarded those who broke the law, he opposed mass deportation, arguing that removing millions of individuals who had built lives, families, and careers in the United States was neither practical nor sound policy. President Bush pushed for immigrants contributing to their communities to pay fines, taxes, pass background checks, and move to the back of the line for legal status in exchange for the chance to remain in the country. They could come out of the shadows and earn their path to citizenship.

The bipartisan efforts championed by President Bush never became a reality. This does, however, demonstrate there are reasonable solutions which can encompass comprehensive immigration reform.

Key Takeaways

• The US immigration is fundamentally flawed, with border security and legal pathways to citizenship often pitted against each other.
• Americans overwhelmingly view immigration as a good for the country.
• The three pillars of immigration reform are border security, legal immigration pathways, and a practical plan for undocumented immigrants.
• The US Customs and Immigration backlog for open immigration cases has increased 23% from 2024 to 2025, ending 2025 at over 11 million.
• President Bush had a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform plan that needs to be reconsidered and updated to fix our broken system.

Common Questions About Gerrymandering

Can the US secure the border and offer a path the citizenship at once?

Yes. It is a false narrative that we can’t create a secure border and a reliable path to citizenship.

Do most Americans support immigration?

Yes. According to Gallup, over 3/4ths of Americans support immigration as a good thing for the nation.

How big is the case backlog?

According to the Niskanen Center, USCIS ended fiscal year 2025 with over 11 million pending asylum cases, a 23% year-over-year increase.

What are the three pillars of immigration reform?

The three pillars of immigration reform are border security, legal immigration pathways, and a practical plan for undocumented immigrants.

What did Bush’s plan propose?

Bush’s immigration reform plan proposed expanding temporary protected status for work visas to bolster the economy and enhancing border security efforts, as well as revamping the technology that supported USCIS.

Sources

1. Saad, Lydia. “Surge in U.S. Concern about Immigration Has Abated.” Gallup.Com, Gallup, 11 July 2025, https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigration-abated.aspx. ↩︎
2. Esterline, Cecilia. “Legal Immigration in Numbers: October 2025 Status Update – Niskanen Center.” Niskanen Center – Improving Policy, Advancing Moderation, 30 Sept. 2025, https://www.niskanencenter.org/immigrationdata/. ↩︎

About the author

Elliot Richardson

Elliot Richardson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Run Down the Middle (RDM), an evidence-based public policy and civic education and engagement platform built to help galvanize Americans searching for a better political environment and real policy solutions. An attorney and longtime public policy advocate, Elliot has spent his career bringing together business owners, advocates, policymakers and community leaders to advance practical solutions. He is also the Co-Founder and President of the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC), writes a monthly column for the Daily Herald and has been interviewed by numerous different media outlets. Through RDM, Elliot works to break down complex policy issues, elevate our political discourse, encourage more constructive civic participation and galvanize people around solutions.