Our nation’s conversation on immigration is in free fall. To rally its base, the Republican Party has taken to spreading bizarre, racist myths about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs. AI-generated images have pushed false narratives that spread like wildfire on social media, reeking of desperation. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ pursuit of the political middle is doing so at the risk of its moral and ethical decency and the economic impact of this action. Last month, Vice President Kamala Harris made a point of going to battleground Arizona for the first time in months to lay out her immigration vision. Her words emphasized law enforcement on immigration issues while remaining awkwardly vague, if not outright quiet, on long-held immigration reform proposals, including the DREAM Act. Unfortunately, this isn’t a complete surprise. The Biden-Harris administration has often pushed Trumpian immigration policies that simply do not move our nation forward. As recently as last Monday, President Biden issued an update to his previous executive action limiting access to asylum at the southern border, allowing deeper asylum restrictions that now hurt unaccompanied minors. We should expect better from Harris. Even as Donald Trump continues espousing violent language, such as when he recently said at a rally that it would be “a bloody story” to carry out his dreams of mass deportations, Harris wants us to believe her campaign isn’t a divisive one, that she is the one to lower temperature on America’s polarization. If that’s truly to be the case, we need Harris to pivot. She must champion a future that prioritizes America’s diverse communities and offers a commonsense immigration agenda that expands legal immigration pathways, defends the humane treatment of asylum seekers seeking refuge, and builds on our rich history as a nation of immigrants. Here’s what that looks like: Creating new pathways to citizenship The creation of new pathways to citizenship needs to take priority over blanket enforcement. There are more than 12 million individuals who live, work and contribute to our country yet are unable to fully participate in our civic life. With Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals under attack in the courts, Harris must stop being afraid of her own past positions and move Congress to enshrine legal protections for the half-million recipients who’ve grown up here and know no other home. Harris should also focus on strengthening the infrastructure of the immigration courts, ensuring that cases are processed efficiently and fairly. Harris can address this by increasing funding for the immigration courts by hiring more judges and support staff, guaranteeing that those who need legal representation are afforded it. Effective and humane border management One of Harris’ meaningful accomplishments as vice president was her work on addressing the root causes of migration in Central America. Effective border management requires coordination with regional governments and civic partners to manage migration flows and target the conditions that drive people to leave their homes in the first place, from climate change to political violence. It must also include increasing the availability of safe and legal pathways to enter the United States, which can include more employment and family reunification visas and expanded humanitarian parole programs. Supporting asylum seekers, refugees, and all newcomers Harris must recommit to international law and ensure access to asylum for those seeking refuge. Similarly, humanitarian parole programs should be expanded robustly to offer protection from removal for those who cannot return home due to conflict, humanitarian crises or natural disasters. A comprehensive approach must also include supporting cities like New York, Denver and Chicago, which have stepped up to welcome immigrant newcomers. The federal government must ensure that these communities have the funding needed to integrate newcomers effectively. Harris should lead efforts to expand access to legal services, health care and expedited work authorization. It’s time to end the talk of cats and dogs. Our country cannot afford to turn its back on the immigrant communities who boost our nation’s economy. Our next president has a duty to tackle our broken immigration system head-on after decades of predecessor’s inability to do so. A majority — 64% of Americans — view immigration as good for the country. Harris’ election would be historic on various fronts, and her family’s immigrant story offers hope to the millions of families like mine whose parents are driven to ensure their children and grandchildren have better lives than theirs. Let’s turn the page and build an immigration system that powers our country and economy into the future. Awawdeh is president of NYIC Action, the 501(c)4 sister organization of the New York Immigration Coalition.