Washington, DC — The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, reacting to the killing of Alex Pretti and this larger moment:
“The buck stops with Donald Trump. Because of his rhetoric and actions, we are living through the moment we have long feared. The brutality, the lawless behavior and the lies from our government echo the darkest chapters of the civil rights era and are hallmarks of authoritarian regimes across the world that America has long fought against.
The President and his enablers in and out of Congress are complicit in the brutality– the kidnappings, the using children as bait, the murders – including the ones in Minneapolis – and the full-scale assault on communities across our nation. And their goal of unleashing this havoc on the American people was made nakedly clear by AG Bondi’s demand for voter rolls in exchange to end the ICE occupation in MN. Trump and his enablers are willing to do whatever it takes to remain in power.
Ordinary Americans from every walk of life are doing what our Constitution demands we do: standing up for the rule of law and our democratic way of life. Now Congress, including the Senate, must follow suit. They must stop hiding and demonstrate courage, by demanding that ICE get out of cities and by refusing to deliver another penny towards this administration’s lawless mass deportation crusade.
And let’s be clear that the problem doesn’t begin or end with ICE, despite their culture of violence and impunity; nor CBP nor even Stephen Miller and his toxic mix of influence and nativism. While we must hold each of them accountable, we cannot let Donald Trump pass the buck. He owns this.”
