Thread by @pwolgin

10 years ago today I walked through the @amprog doors for my first day on the #immigration team.

I wanted to reflect on some of the amazing projects I've been part of over the years.

/1

One of the first big projects I worked on was a detailed look at the costs of mandatory E-Verify on ordinary Americans.

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/2

Then @alexnowrasteh organized a left-right briefing on the harms of E-Verify where the bill sponsor’s chief counsel started SCREAMING at us in the middle of the Q&A, a hilarious moment. I like to think this was part of why the bill failed.

americasvoice.org/blog/verbal_br…

/3

In 2012, on the day that #DACA was announced, @neeratanden got pizza for the whole staff and we watched the rose garden speech together. What an incredible day.

We’ve done so much amazing DACA work over the years, so here are a few highlights:

/4

In the days after #DACA was announced, we put out an RFP for a one-year program analysis. That led us to @TomWongPhD and this amazing study in the fall of 2013:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/5

And every single year since 2015, we along with @TomWongPhD, @UnitedWeDream, and @NILC have run an incredibly successful survey of #DACA recipients, work that has been integral to the defense of DACA.

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/6

In 2013 much of my work was on S.744, the bipartisan #CIR bill that passed the Senate.

Being in the Senate gallery, and watching Senator after Senator cast their vote for a pathway to citizenship was one of the highlights of my career.

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/7

As the Obama administration grappled with unaccompanied children and families at the border (migration is cyclical!) I worked on a number of seminal reports on how to fairly and humanely deal with asylum in the region.

This was one of our earliest:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/8

In 2016, @dan_restrepo, @silvamathema, and I worked on two reports, which together encompassed a short, medium, and long term plan to address migration in the Americas.

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/9

And then we come to the Trump era. One of my earliest projects was with @NILC and @AILANational on a study on what funding for so-called sanctuary jurisdictions was being threatened by the Trump administration, to contextualize what was at stake:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/10

When Trump tried to gut protections for kids in custody, by overturning the Flores rule, I ran the numbers on what that would cost, submitted a comment to OMB, and forced the admin to take the time to respond, almost certainly delaying its release.

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/11

And I’ve been so proud to work with my team on a suite of research on protecting essential workers, DACA recipients and TPS holders; on rethinking immigration enforcement; on rebuilding the refugee program; and so much more.

A few must-read @CAPimmigration reports:

/12

.@nsvajlenka on Protecting Undocumented Workers on the Pandemic’s Front Lines:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/13

.@tomjawtez on Restoring the Rule of Law Through a Fair, Humane, and Workable Immigration System:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/14

.@TomWongPhD @tomjawetz and @silvamathema There Is No Evidence that TPS Designations Increase Irregular Migration to the United States:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/15

.@MarkowitzPeter on A New Paradigm for Humane and Effective Immigration Enforcement:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/16

.@ClaudsDC ‘s beautiful oped: Biden Has Set the Tone on Immigration, But Will He Deliver for Me and My Family?

newsweek.com/biden-has-set-…

/17

And @silvamathema and @sofiaCarratala on Rebuilding the U.S. Refugee Program for the 21st Century:

americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

/18

As I look to the future, to a Biden administration that is starting to undo the massive damage to the immigration system that the Trump admin had done, to a Congress that has the power to put undocumented immigrants on a pathway to citizenship through multiple pathways...

/19

…with #DACA still in place even with the Trump attacks. As I watch, again and again, the amazing resiliency and power of the undocumented young people, the BIPOC organizers and advocates, who lead the movement, and all of my colleagues in this fight, I am optimistic.

/20

Most of all, I am grateful. Grateful to be in this fight. Grateful to all of my @CAPImmigration colleagues over the years, too many to name, and especially grateful to my current team, @silvamathema @claudsDC @nsvajlenka and @SofiaCarratala

/21

There is much, much more to come – we have some exciting projects in the weeks to come. So thank you @amprog for a great 10 years!

/End