Amid busy campaigning from both parties ahead of the 2024 presidential election, narratives surrounding immigration have intensified. Some public figures are advocating for the mass deportations of immigrants and closed border policies. Others, like Menlo Park-based photographer Mark Tuschman, are fighting to reshape the narrative against immigrants.
Tuschman, a grandchild of immigrants himself, observes how growing up with his grandparents sparked an interest in depicting the real narrative behind immigrants. Coming from a Jewish heritage, he was disillusioned with the treatment of immigrants during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I was greatly offended in 2018 at the horrible rhetoric of how immigrants were being vilified, and I felt that it was painting a very false narrative,” Tuschman said. “We’re a nation of immigrants, and immigrants have really contributed in so many ways to make our lives all better.”
His book, “Together We Rise”, attempts to dismantle people’s fears of immigrants by showcasing the lives of each individual from their own perspective.
“I wanted to give [readers] a sense of real people and real immigrants, what they do, and show that they’re working hard to improve their lives,” Tuschman said. “The book was aimed at people who may have mixed feelings about immigrants. I know I’m not going to change the minds of people who are vehemently anti-immigrant and racist, but I think there is a middle ground of people who might be a little ambiguous.”
Wanting to foster a more empathetic outlook of immigrants, Tuschman interviewed farm workers and examined what motivated them to leave behind their homes. In doing so, he looked to spread awareness of the dangers people come from and their efforts to not go back.
“Immigrants risk their lives to come here, fleeing mortal danger at home, trying to build a better life for themselves,” Tuschman said. “One of the first [immigrants] I photographed didn’t want to show her face, so I took a picture with her hands over [her face]. You can see the bandage over her nose, covering the big gap [that formed] when her husband turned violent and bit off her nose.”
Tuschman hopes to use his book to combat rampant anti-immigration rhetoric by shedding new light on the people behind statistics and mainstream talking points.
“I’ve always used this book as a tool of advert to help create a more compassionate and empathetic understanding of immigrants, deal with some of the polarization that’s so common in our country, and bring a more rational dialog to it,” Tuschman said. “There are a lot of myths that are being propagated saying that immigrants are rapists and criminals. Of course, there are going to be a few bad people out of the millions, but statistically speaking, why would somebody risk their life to come here to commit a crime?”
Tuschman says reforming the immigration system should be a top priority for American policymakers.
“[The immigration system] definitely needs to be fixed in some humane way, but demonizing immigrants is not the answer,” Tuschman said. “You really need to make the asylum system more humane and efficient. I think there’s been too much attention paid to the border, and not realizing how much immigrants really contribute to our society and how important they are. We really are a country of immigrants where everybody has a story to tell.”
Writing the book and meeting many people of diverse backgrounds in the process has also had lasting impacts on Tuschman.
“I feel very fortunate that I’m doing this kind of work,” Tuschman said. “It really opens your horizons. You get to meet people that you normally wouldn’t socialize with, and you develop relationships with them, and some of them have become very close friends… I met incredible entrepreneurs, legal people, and first-generation immigrant DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Scholarship] recipients, and one of them actually became my Spanish tutor for several years.”