Day two of the 2020 Republican National Convention was a night full of contradictions in regards to immigration policy. The same stream of racist rhetoric flowed throughout the event with new tricks to try to cover for this hateful rhetoric. Still, the central narrative of the convention was to talk about anything other than the lethal virus that has taken nearly 180,000 lives. Instead of focusing on real solutions to stop the pandemic and help Americans through this time, Trump and the GOP have chosen to deflect responsibility and target the most vulnerable individuals in our country.
Cris Peterson from Wisconsin opened the RNC, noting the importance of agriculture as the backbone of this nation, without actually talking about the farm workers themselves, most of whom happen to be undocumented. Our government is actively working to exclude them from the stimulus packages and forcing them to continue working in unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the midst of the virus.
Cris Peterson is opening the #RepublicanConvention by talking about how "agriculture is our backbone and strength."
Meanwhile, just a few months ago Trump tried to slash farmworker wages. #RNC2020
Read more: https://t.co/loFnOvFbGe pic.twitter.com/txiwMJcfXO
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) August 26, 2020
FYI –> Wisconsin's dairy industry would collapse without the work of Latino immigrants — many of them undocumented https://t.co/JZoXyt19GI
— Joe Sudbay (@JoeSudbay) August 26, 2020
Jeanette Nunez spoke about her parents fleeing Cuba for a better life. Quite ironically, her family would probably not be able to come to the U.S. today under Trump’s strict asylum laws and extreme vetting of refugees.
Jeanette Nunez spoke about her parents' journey as political refugees from Cuba.
Meanwhile Trump is gutting our asylum and system, making it harder for those seeking refuge in our country: https://t.co/ZfrxbnWufg #RNC2020 #RepublicanConvention pic.twitter.com/c1YzITbsqi
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) August 26, 2020
The RNC also included an unexpected naturalization ceremony that left many infuriated. The Trump administration has waged a relentless war on immigrants and refugees since Trump descended down that escalator in 2015. His administration has implemented multiple policies to shut down virtually all legal immigration channels, and have made it harder for legal immigrants and naturalization applicants to be adjudicated. This ceremony is nothing more than a political stunt, and does not make up for years of abuse immigrants have endured under Trump.
From the moment the Trump administration walked in, they have been issuing policy after policy that makes it impossible or harder than ever to access legal immigration & naturalization.
Immigrants are not political props. #RNC2020
Read more: https://t.co/w3xR9SBagL pic.twitter.com/Nh50HFha1P
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) August 26, 2020
"The naturalization ceremony part of last night’s RNC was a deeply cynical event, featuring the most anti-immigrant president in history attempting to obscure and paper over his relentless animosity toward immigrants…" https://t.co/D3hDsUrEq1 pic.twitter.com/dt9u9wwTAn
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) August 26, 2020
A reminder that Trump has done everything in his power in the last 3+ years to stop the naturalizations of immigrants. Him standing there is nothing but a political stunt and it is sickening
— Juana Esquivel (@juana_esquivel) August 26, 2020
5 naturalizations is a stunt. A pathway to citizenship for our 11 million of hard-working, taxpaying, undocumented neighbors is the plan the American people want.
— Zachary.A.Mueller (@ZacharyAMueller) August 26, 2020
To top it off, Eric Trump, Donald Trump’s son, criticized Biden on immigration just moments after the naturalization stunt.
.@EricTrump criticizing Biden for wanting to give "amnesty and healthcare to all illegal immigrants" five minutes after Trump's naturalization stunt sums up the night so far. #RNC2020 #RepublicanConvention pic.twitter.com/uM1dg64tIn
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) August 26, 2020
Creep and hypocrite Eric Trump knows that the Trump businesses relied on -and exploited- undocumented workers at their buildings, their golf courses and their vineyard. For decades
He knows the people who did the work, which makes his attacks even worse https://t.co/enVOO4EPjD
— Joe Sudbay (@JoeSudbay) August 26, 2020
One of the more cringe-worthy moments of the night was Melania Trump’s speech about how helping children is our “moral imperative.” This was especially hard to swallow given President Trump’s immigration policies which have greatly affected child migrants.
.@FLOTUS: "Helping children is not a political goal, it is our moral imperative."
Donald Trump is literally separating children from their parents at the border & making it increasingly difficult for families seeking asylum. #RNC2020 https://t.co/DT0mvpQ8NT pic.twitter.com/ow1kPHPwz2
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) August 26, 2020
that she has the audacity to talk about the suffering of little children when one of the things that will always define the Trump presidency is the kidnapping of kids from their parents
— Joe Sudbay (@JoeSudbay) August 26, 2020
This rhetoric is especially worrisome coming from the woman who wore her infamous trench coat about how she did not care while her husband was implementing cruel border policies.
I don't care if "First Lady Melania Trump struck an empathetic tone."
Has she been empathetic as FLOTUS, or was she silent as her husband ripped 1000s of kids from parents, visiting them only for a photo op at one of his concentration camps wearing, "I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U?" pic.twitter.com/hZtKVhRAPB
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) August 26, 2020
Perhaps there is nothing more ironic though than Melania, an immigrant herself, talking about all that Trump has done, when she has remained tucked away in her million dollar homes while Trump’s policies harm Americans everywhere.
I finally agree w/ Melania on something, “the last 3 yrs have been unforgettable.” True. I’ll never forget. We can never forget how much harm Trump & GOP have done to our country, to families, to workers, to our standing in the world. We can’t afford another 4 yrs. #TrumpChaos
— Pili Tobar (@pilitobar87) August 26, 2020
Melania, did you know that under your husband's immigration proposals–drafted by white nationalist Stephen Miller–your parents would not be allowed to immigrate to join you in the US? They call that chain migration. #TrumpChaos
— David Leopold (@DavidLeopold) August 26, 2020
Donald Trump used immigrants last night as political props in an attempt to mask years of harmful policies and racist rhetoric. The American people have watched immigrants suffer day after day under the Trump administration and should not be fooled by one night of this attempt at animosity. It’s time to vote Trump out this November.
