Citizens Commission on Immigration - Braver Angels

Citizens Commission on Immigration

The goal of the Citizens Commission on Immigration is to demonstrate to Congress and the nation that Americans with differing views on immigration can find common ground. The Commission works in a red/blue balanced way and includes Americans from all sides of the issue. It was launched after a red/blue balanced group of about 750 delegates at the 2024 Braver Angels National Convention gathered and voted to establish immigration as a Braver Angels priority issue. This is following in the footsteps of our successful Trustworthy Elections Campaign

The Commission includes three streams of work: grassroots Americans, national leaders, and Congress.  The grassroots Americans work is centered around approximately 100 Braver Angels events on immigration including Common Ground Workshops, Local Community Debates and Congress Member and Constituent Conversations.  The national leaders work is centered around the Immigration Policy Roundtable, a small group of nationally prominent experts and advocates representing all sides of the issue and committed to seeking ground. The Congressional work is centered around on-going conversation with Members of Congress, including invitations to observe or participate in Braver Angels events on immigration. 

The Citizens Commission on Immigration encompasses all three streams of work and culminates in a Report to the Nation, outlining key policy recommendations on immigration that reflect red/blue common ground from the grassroots and national work.

Questions?

To share comments or ask questions about the initiative, please reach out to David Lapp at dlapp@braverangels.org

Finding common ground on immigration

Ways to Help

We need members from across the country to participate in this effort.  Our goal is to have at least one event in every state!

  • Can your Braver Angels Alliance or organization help organize a Common Ground Workshop or Debate on immigration?
  • Would you like to participate in a workshop or debate, or help recruit a diverse pool of participants?
  • Do you have connections to a Member of Congress (U.S. Representative or Senator) that would be interested in participating in a Congress Member and Constituents Conversation with 7 red constituents and 7 blue constituents?

Timeline

June 2024
At 2024 Convention, Braver Angels Delegates voted to establish immigration as a priority issue.
July - December 2024
Build the Leadership team, identify stakeholders, pilot events
January 2025 - December 2026
Convene ~100 Grassroots Events, and ~8 National Roundtable Meetings
January - June 2027
Convene leadership team to make final recommendations and write the Report to the Nation.
June 2027
Report Released
June 2027 and beyond
June 2027: Report Disseminated to Congress, the Media, Immigration Leaders, and “We the People”

Leadership Team

David Lapp: Director of Citizens Commission on Immigration

David (leans red) is a co-founder of Braver Angels and director of the Citizens Commission on Immigration. He lives in South Lebanon, Ohio.

David Blankenhorn: President of Braver Angels

David (leans red) is president and co-founder of Braver Angels. He is the author of In search of Braver Angels. He co-founded the National Fatherhood Initiative in 1995, founded the Institute for American Values in 1988, and has authored or co-edited 14 books. He grew up in Mississippi and now lives with his family in New York City.

Reena Bernards

Reena (leans blue) is a Braver Angels moderator and national leader, and was the Project Lead of the BA Trustworthy Elections Campaign.  She created the “Common Ground Workshop” so Reds and Blues can address issues constructively. The workshops do a deep dive into a single issue for the purpose of finding unanimous points of agreement on values, concerns and solutions/policies. Common Ground Workshops have tackled such issues as abortion, teaching about race and racism in public schools, antisemitism, addressing climate change – and in ensuring trustworthy elections. Reena is a marriage and family therapist in the DC area.

Theresa Cardinal Brown

Bio coming soon!

Mike Hernández
Michael “Mike” Hernández (leans blue) is a Master’s of Public Policy and Master’s of Divinity candidate at the University of Chicago focusing on urban policy and the role of religion in American public life. At the University of Chicago, he is an Events and Voting Ambassador at the Institute of Politics. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a dual degree in Political Science and Economics in the Honors Program, with minors in English and Urban and Community Studies. On-campus, Michael served as the Student Body President, Founder of the Undergraduate Political Science Association, the Vice-President of the Connecticut Young Democrats and a regular contributor to the Undergraduate Political Review, the Business Review and the student newspaper. Off-campus, Michael has worked on various political campaigns, the U.S. Census, the Stamford Housing Affordability Study, and the historic Afford to Dream Act. Most recently, he was a Policy Fellow at NextGen Chamber of Commerce. His interests in public policy include housing and urban development as well as promoting civic engagement at the municipal level, which are reflected in his honors thesis. In his personal time, Michael enjoys photography, going out for runs and spending time on Long Island Sound with his family. After completing his time at the University of Chicago, he hopes to serve in the U.S. Navy, attend law school and enter public service in his hometown. Michael calls Stamford, Connecticut home.
Laura Kramer

Laura (leans blue) is the outreach coordinator for this initiative.  She is a retired engineer and project manager from Hewlett Packard and 3D Systems.  In her work for Braver Angels she is also on the Braver Faith leadership team and posts regularly on the Braver Angels Oregon Facebook page.  She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon (near Portland).

Rubeena Mohamed

Bio coming soon!

Jon Palaima

Bio coming soon!

Juan Rangel

Bio coming soon!

Jim Robb

Jim Robb is Vice-President of Alliances at NumbersUSA, the nation’s largest-member immigration policy group. He has served on the staff since the organization’s founding in 1996. He has authored a book on Hispanics voting trends, Political Migrants: Hispanic Voters on the Move, 2022.  He lives with his wife Kim in Falls Church, Virginia. 

Diego Sánchez

Diego Sanchez is the Director of Policy and Strategy at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, an alliance representing over 550 campus leaders dedicated to advancing forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal, state, and campus levels. A former immigration attorney, DACA recipient, and community organizer, Diego draws on more than a decade of lived experience as an undocumented individual. He is a passionate advocate for expanding immigration opportunities and advancing bipartisan solutions, working across the aisle to promote policies that benefit students, campuses, and the nation.

John Schwenkler

John Schwenkler (leans blue) lives in Decatur GA and helps lead Braver Angels initiatives for workshop development/moderating along with faith engagement

Peter Skerry

Bio coming soon!

Michelle Tolfa

Michelle Tolfa (leans blue) is the Data Coordinator for the initiative.  She is a software engineer and lives in Seattle, WA with her husband Alex and their elderly chihuahua Charlie.  When she’s not helping to support and organize Braver Angels events, she enjoys bike rides through the city and cooking. 

Upcoming Events

EventDescriptionDate
Common Ground WorkshopNational online workshop to find common ground on immigration1733580000 Saturday, December 7, 2024
Common Ground WorkshopNational online workshop to find common ground on immigration1737900000 Sunday, January 26, 2025
Immigration Initiative Training CampFor Braver Angels volunteers who are interested in leading immigration events1736604000 Saturday, January 11, 2025

Completed Events

Immigration Panel Debate (Online) 9/28/24
Common Ground Workshop (Online) 10/26/24
Common Ground Workshop (Washington DC) 10/26/24

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