On the heels of the revised Muslim and refugee ban, civil rights and progressive leaders condemned Trump’s cruel executive orders on immigration and called on Congress to protect immigrants and stand up for American values of inclusion and fairness.
In recent weeks, immigrant communities across the country have seen an increase in racial profiling, incarceration, criminalization, and deportation. Trump is ripping families apart and terrorizing them, and even targeting parents whose children are U.S citizens. A video of today’s event is available here.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Advocacy Director, United We Dream (UWD), said:
What is happening right now is a civil rights crisis. Over the last month, Donald Trump has unleashed a wave of terror against me, my family and millions more without any regard for our humanity. He has bulldozed our country with his mass deportation plans and a racist ban against our Muslim sisters and brothers. Trump unveiled phase one of his border wall. It may not be made of bricks and barbed wire but the effect is the same: Keeping immigrants out, subjecting people to racist scrutiny and harassment. Today, I’m here to demand that Trump and his administration revoke these executive orders now, and to tell Republicans to take action to hold him accountable.
Lo que está sucediendo es una crisis en contra de los derechos civiles de los inmigrantes. Durante el mes pasado, Donald Trump ha desatado una ola de terror en contra de mi, mi familia, y millones más sin tomar en cuenta nuestra humanidad. Su plan masivo de deportaciones y su muro fronterizo ha comenzado con su prohibición de inmigración de Musulmanes al país. Nuestra demanda es clara: Trump debe de terminar las órdenes ejecutivas y los Republicanos deben de tomar acción en el Congreso y ejercer autoridad sobre el presidente.
Ellen Buchman, Executive Vice President for Field and Communications, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said:
The drastic immigration policy announcements by this administration are troubling to our entire coalition and to many Americans. The bigoted rhetoric and divisive policies that the president-elect ran on left many communities afraid that they wouldn’t have a place in Donald Trump’s America. Since he took office, his occasional inclusive rhetoric aside, his policies haven’t convinced us otherwise. We will not be victims of a Trump Administration or a Congress that seeks to turn back the clock on our progress. We will continue to protect our most vulnerable and to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.
Bridgette Gomez, Director of Latinx Outreach and Engagement, Planned Parenthood for America, said:
At Planned Parenthood, immigrants, refugees, and Muslims are our activists, supporters, educators, clinicians, leaders, and staff. And they are our patients. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. No one should fear deportations when they seek help, or have to think twice about seeking life saving health care. We must protect and support people so they can seek services without fear or hesitation. Today and every day, we stand with immigrant and refugee families in every corner of our country. They make our country better, stronger, and more vibrant. Now is the time for us to link arms and stand united.
Tom Jawetz, Vice President of Immigration, Center for American Progress (CAP), said:
Just weeks into this administration, Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders that put in place the blueprint for mass deportation that he promised throughout his campaign. While striking fear throughout immigrant communities is no doubt part of this administration’s plan, it already has had dangerous side effects. Today, Center for American Progress joined 19 other leading progressive organizations—ranging from traditional civil rights groups to immigrants’ rights groups to unions— in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly asking that he take immediate action to halt the deportations of Daniela Vargas of Mississippi and Daniel Ramirez of Seattle, as well as any other DREAMers—young unauthorized immigrants—in his custody, and release them back to their families and communities.
Flavia Jiménez, Immigrant Justice Program Director, Advancement Project’s National Office, said:
From the courtroom to the streets, we will organize, resist, and litigate. We will see each other and keep each other safe. Ask any movement elder and, they’ll tell you, the country has been through worse. We will shut down the nonsense, we will stand together, we will survive, and we will win.
Joanne Lin, Senior Legislative Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said:
Yesterday’s Muslim ban 2.0 is a reincarnation of the original, failed Muslim ban that was blocked by the courts. No matter how he tries to spin or mask this, Pres. Trump cannot disguise his discriminatory intent to block Muslims from coming the U.S. The Constitution does not tolerate such religious discrimination and neither does the ACLU or the American people. We shall continue to fight this discriminatory Muslim ban in the courts, in the legislatures, at the airports, and on the streets and we will prevail.
Clarissa Martínez, Deputy Vice President, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), said:
On the 75th anniversary of Japanese internment, one of the darkest chapters in our history, the President’s Department of Homeland Security issued memos seeking the massive expansion of a deportation force and detention camps. Mr. Trump is intent on painting immigrants as a menace, making facts another casualty of the war he has unleashed on immigrants, refugees, Latinos, the millions of American families who live in fear of losing a loved one to deportation, and anyone in our country who will be treated as suspect because of what they look or sound like. But while fear is his weapon, our community is not alone. NCLR will continue to work closely with our national network of community organizations, with civil rights organizations and community partners, to protect and defend the policies and initiatives that have helped build a more equitable America. And we will remember elected leaders who took a stand or stood by the sidelines.
Avideh Moussavian, Policy Attorney, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), said:
The four immigration-related executive orders signed in the last six weeks are often discussed as standalone measures, but that’s missing the crucial point that they have a clear common theme that underlies all of them. These orders were designed to create fear and animosity and have unleashed a wave of open discrimination against people perceived to be from certain parts of the world, regardless of their immigration status. Immigration is a vital part of this country’s DNA. Immigrants are part of our families, our communities, and our economy. Yet, these executive orders are built on the faulty premise that promotes and encourages hostile attitudes towards immigrants. We, as a nation, are better than than these executive orders that flout the Constitution and imperil deeply held values that cherish community, dignity, and fairness.
Rocio Sáenz, International Executive Vice President, SEIU, said:
This kind of out-of-control immigration enforcement does not reflect our values and is not who we are as Americans. America is a beautiful country full of hope and promise and no one believes in that promise more deeply than the immigrants who come here to make a life. But that promise is being destroyed by the current administration whose policies are cruel and run against every value we hold dear. We know what can happen when people join together — just like they did when thousands of people – including SEIU members – joined spontaneous protests at airports across America. We won’t back down — we are here to stay.
JoDee Winterhof, Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), said:
The LGBTQ community is as diverse as the fabric of this nation. We are women; we are immigrants; we are people of color; we are Muslims. So an attack of any of us is an attack on all of us. Yesterday, President Trump issued the latest version of his Muslim ban. Let’s be clear: Donald Trump’s serial attempts to vilify Muslims and undocumented immigrants puts the lives of LGBTQ people in jeopardy.
