Washington, DC — One year ago, Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time. Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, offered the following assessment of the Trump administration and its anti-immigrant agenda
“One year into his second term, it’s crystal clear that Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda is making America weaker, poorer and less safe – from a failing economy to families being torn apart to an assault on our cities and our due process rights. Taking stock of the sheer volume of anti-immigrant news and policies can be staggering in scope, but several big picture takeaways are clear.
First, the unchecked mass deportation crusade harms all of us and serves as the ‘tip of the spear’ for a broader assault on the rights and civil liberties of all Americans. From normalizing the massive domestic deployment of armed and masked federal agents, and in some cases military troops, against the will of American communities; to the targeting and persecution of citizens and non-citizens alike; to the subversion of due process rights and First Amendment protections are just a few examples of the assault on America. This administration is engaging in deliberate provocations – relying on the pretext of immigration – that raise the possibility of violence, trample on core democratic traditions and aim to keep our nation needlessly divided.
Second, the Trump immigration agenda is increasingly unpopular and is triggering a growing backlash. From the volume of polling showing that Trump’s immigration approval and support for ICE are underwater to the rising unpopularity of the family separation and mass deportation agenda, including majority recognition that it makes us “less safe,” Americans are recognizing that the mass deportation campaign has gone too far and are galvanized in opposition that extends well beyond immigrant communities (see the Minnesota statewide day of truth and freedom this coming Friday as an example).
Finally, it’s essential that in this moment when we are witnessing in real-time what an “enforcement only” agenda looks like, we fight for a better way than the chaos and cruelty of the past year. From near term needs, such as ending the ICE deployments in our cities and adding essential safeguards and accountability over ICE and the mass deportation agenda, to recommitting to finally overhauling our immigration system, we must respond to the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant fusillade by charting an alternative vision that advances our values and interests and begins to repair the damage on display and what we know is forthcoming.”
