How Did We Get Here?

Migration is as old as humanity itself, yet the debate surrounding it today is increasingly disconnected from the human beings at its center. Political rhetoric often turns complex human stories into slogans, or threats. Meanwhile, the lived experience of individuals seeking opportunity is reduced to numbers on charts or breaking headlines. What is lost in this process is precisely what should matter most, the human story behind every journey.

In late 2025, I joined Aspen Institute Global Changemakers in Bogota for The Price of Passage workshop, which explored forces impacting migration. Through dialogue, analysis, and reflection, we moved beyond our assumptions and saw the value of breaking complex challenges into their smaller, more human components.

I left the workshop believing that a U.S. approach to migration cannot be transactional. America has long defined itself by an idea larger than geography, an idea born from liberty, justice, and the belief in human dignity. Senator John McCain often reminded Americans that our nation’s greatness is tested not in moments of comfort, but when confronted with hard choices that challenge our values. Migration presents such a moment. We are responsible for meeting these challenges with courage, wisdom, and compassion. These perspectives remind us that addressing migration is not only a policy question, but it is a moral responsibility deeply rooted in what it means to be American.

The Power of the Story, Why Narratives Matter

Public attitudes toward migration are not shaped by legislation, but by the stories societies tell about who migrants are, why they come, and what their presence means. Stories persuade in ways data cannot, and they appeal to identity, and tap into fear or empathy. The way migration is framed determines whether people see newcomers as a threat, or as human beings seeking a better life.

Narratives shape political possibilities. When migrants are reduced to numbers, harsh policies become easier to justify, public support for humanitarian action erodes, and we move further from our collective ideal of American values. However, when we elevate individual voices, we invite people to see migrants as neighbors, parents, and workers with hopes like our own. 

Our founding fathers believed that we should look to our shared humanity and recognize that everyone we meet is an equal in this land. Modern discourse, however, creates distance instead of solidarity. The U.S. has the opportunity, and responsibility, to bridge that distance, using narrative not as a weapon, but as a tool for understanding and connection. By doing this, we honor what it truly means to be an American.

America’s Responsibility and Western Moral Obligation

For generations, the U.S. has led the world in responding to global challenges. When America acts with conviction and moral leadership, others follow. When it hesitates, global norms weaken. Migration now presents a test of our willingness to uphold the principles that define us.

The West, more broadly, cannot ignore this challenge either. Migration is a global phenomenon, driven by conflict, climate, and economics that extend far beyond national borders. Western nations possess the capacity and influence to shape responses that are humane and the U.S. should lead the way. 

Democratic leadership requires strength and moral clarity, and that power must be matched by purpose. National security is essential, yet we cannot forget that the world looks to the United States not only for power, but for example. Our example must reflect the best of who we claim to be, and our policies can balance security and humanity as a model for the globe.

Rehumanizing Policy

The workshop reiterated the belief that every migrant is an individual, not a statistic. Yet public discourse typically substitutes categories for people such as immigrant, refugee, or asylum seeker to simplify the issue, or sway opinion. These labels obscure, rather than illuminate, and fail to capture the fact that each migration journey begins with a decision based in fear, hope, or necessity.

If Americans could speak to a family seeking safety, our national conversation about migration would likely be remarkably different. When we understand the stories behind individuals who migrate, the father carrying his child through hardship, or the student chasing possibility, we can make political progress. We were fortunate to hear individuals recount their journeys from Venezuela to Colombia that deeply impacted our theoretical discussions and data analysis. Despite truly awful experiences, including sex trafficking and forced captivity, the spirit of hope carried these individuals through to a better life.

Personal stories highlight the often-brutal realities migrants face (before and during their journeys) and change beliefs. Stories reconnect us with reality, replace fear with understanding, and remind us that behind every statistic is a human.

Honoring Dignity

A responsible American approach to migration begins with a simple principle: human dignity comes first. That means telling stories that illuminate, rather than divide, listening rather than judging, and recognizing that migrants are not intruders in search of charity, but people in search of the security, opportunity, and community that Americans value.

Narratives can help build bridges between locals and transplants, between national interests and global responsibility, and between compassion and security. Achieving this does not require naivete, but the wisdom to see the world as it is, rather than as we fear it may become. We can secure borders and establish policies that ensure any migrant attempting to cross is treated with the respect they deserve as a human being.

The Role of Leadership

Those closest to migration issues must control the narrative, and ensure the truth is told. Leaders shape the tone, define the stakes, and choose whether to appeal to fear or to values. Migration will remain politically complex, but complexity cannot excuse abandoning our American values.

Leaders in this moment require clarity of purpose, moral courage, the willingness to speak truth, and an unwavering commitment to human dignity. When creating narratives around migration, leaders should ask not only what is politically expedient, but what is morally required to honor our national character.

The Story We Choose to Tell

Migration is not an issue that will fade with time. The world is changing politically, environmentally, and economically, but human movement will continue to shape the future. The question is not whether migration will happen, but how we will respond, and who we will be in that response.

Our responsibility as Americans, and as citizens of the West, is to ensure that the story we tell reflects our highest principles, rather than our fears. If we choose to center the human being behind every data point, to listen, to understand, and to speak with moral purpose, we may not solve every challenge, but we will preserve our integrity as a nation committed to justice, compassion, and human dignity. That story, the American story, is one worth defending and one the world expects us to uphold.