JANUS Forum panelists debate immigration policy

Susana Martinez, Republican former governor of New Mexico, and Ashley Allison, Democratic political strategist, shared the stage for the JANUS Forum on April 13 at Miami University.

The JANUS Forum brings in two speakers with different viewpoints to debate a set topic each semester. This semester, the topic was the evolving landscape of immigration policy. Nate Novak, junior political science and business leadership double major, served as moderator.

Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years, during which she served as the Doña Ana County, New Mexico district attorney. She also served as governor of New Mexico from 2011-2019.

Allison served as a senior campaign advisor for the Obama-Biden and Biden-Harris administrations. She is a civil rights advocate and political commentator for CNN.

Martinez said she has seen immigration change during her 50 years of experience on the Mexico-U.S. border. She said a problem was some states chose to turn over undocumented immigrants who had committed crimes to the federal government for deportation instead of prosecution, and they almost always came back.

“Their return is more likely because they have not been convicted of the crime they have committed,” Martinez said. “As a prosecutor, I want to prosecute.”

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Allison said crossing the border is currently treated as a criminal offense even though it’s a civil offense in the United States, which is a problem when undocumented immigrants are productive members of society.

“There are a lot of people in this country that may be living with undocumented status that have played an important [role],” Allison said. “I think we have disregarded a significant population.”

Martinez said Biden’s open-border policy overloaded the already slow legal immigration process and allowed people to come into the U.S. without adequate background checks.

Allison asked the crowd to raise their hands if they knew someone who was undocumented and to keep their hands raised if they would be OK if that person was deported.

“Your friend, whoever that person is in your life, is gone,” Allison said. “They might not have anything on the other side.”

Martinez said in response that undocumented immigrants often pay to be smuggled across the border by Mexican cartels, then owe the cartels unpayable debts.

“Once you cross over, you belong to somebody,” Martinez said. “They are ruthless.”

Allison and Martinez discussed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), a policy enacted under the Obama administration allowing undocumented immigrants brought into the U.S. as children to work without fear of deportation, according to USA.gov. Current DACA recipients remain protected, but U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services does not currently accept new applicants, according to the National Immigration Forum.

“DACA used to be the thing we thought we could all agree on,” Allison said. “I think eventually DACA will become law.”

Trump has signed 254 executive orders since he took office in 2025, according to the Federal Register. Some have affected immigration policy, such as securing the border and denying birthright citizenship. Martinez said it’s unwise to govern by executive orders because the next person in office can easily reverse them.

Allison said the reason for the volume of orders is because Congress isn’t doing its job.

“That is why people are governing with executive orders, because the body that is supposed to be doing it is not actually doing it,” Allison said.

Novak then asked what Martinez and Allison would do to fix the immigration system.

Martinez said she would secure the border and emphasize law enforcement. She said immigrants with expertise and knowledge to contribute to the economy are necessary, but only if they are vetted properly. Martinez also said she would seek proper congressional funds, a challenge Congress currently faces.

Martinez said when she was district attorney, Border Patrol or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would always be on standby to assist in the jails by determining how long illegal detainees needed to be held.

“This would allow what we visually see in Minnesota, what we see on television, not to occur,” Martinez said. “But the mayors and governors of certain states have said no, that is cooperation with ICE or Border Patrol.”

Allison said ICE should not be deployed in city streets, and undocumented immigrants who are positive contributors to society should have a pathway to citizenship.

Martinez responded by suggesting a pathway to legal status, not citizenship.

“Sold,” Allison said. “Compromise.”

Allison also said ICE agents should not wear masks. Martinez disagreed, and said that would put the agents and their families in danger.

Finally, Novak asked how to make a difference as a student in this divided era of politics.

Martinez said it’s important to be informed, not angry, and to always be willing to hear people out.

“If you’re not open to the other side, then you’re no better than our congress is,” Martinez said. “What do they have, a negative four approval rating?”

Allison said hope must be a part of anything people do and engaging with people who have different viewpoints and can help strengthen personal beliefs.

“Someone once told me hope is a discipline,” Allison said. “If you do not act as a disciplined believer [or] an implementer of hope, it can die.”

After the debate, The Miami Student asked Martinez and Allison why they thought immigration policy was an important topic of conversation to discuss in an open forum such as JANUS.

Martinez said the government’s failure to follow immigration laws and the influx of illegals let in during the Biden administration made matters worse. She said the economy, workforce and all the essential systems of our country are negatively impacted by illegal immigration.

Martinez said her experience at the border allowed her to witness firsthand a failed system.

“Folks that want to come in legally, it seems like they’re almost swallowed by the system,” Martinez said. “So much time and energy [spent] on something that failed this country.”

Allison said immigration has been a front-and-center issue in American politics since the 2024 election, and people with different opinions struggle to discuss it openly. She also said the deployment of ICE in cities and the resulting violence, such as the killings in Minneapolis, has sparked criticism of the current immigration policy.

“I think the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti will be one of those inflection moments,” Allison said. “They are current moments that require a change, and they will be historical landmark moments that people will study about how we got there and how we got out of it.”

clarkelt@miamioh.edu