PRESIDENT BIDEN TO VISIT FAMILIES OF BALTIMORE VICTIMS
President Biden is set to visit Baltimore later today and will meet with the families of the six immigrant workers who lost their lives in last month’s tragic accident. Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, said that during a time “when so much of the immigration focus is on the false notion of immigrants as threats, today’s meeting with the families of the workers who lost their lives is an opportunity to refocus on the real story of immigrants and immigration in America.” These men, Cárdenas said, “were migrant workers doing a dangerous job to literally build America. Their stories and sacrifices are indicative of the real immigration story: throughout history and today and in red and blue states alike, immigrants are doing hard and often dangerous and unappreciated work to pursue their own American dreams while contributing and building a stronger nation for all of us.” Ahead of President Biden’s visit, White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez said that the families in Baltimore are suffering. “It was heart-wrenching, I can’t describe it any other way. But you know what, the President said, ‘I want them to know that they mattered. That their lives mattered. That immigrants matter.’ And that’s why he’s going [Friday]. Because he wants to tell them that himself.” Read more here.
‘AMERICA CAN’T AFFORD TO LOOK AWAY’
During campaign events on Tuesday, Donald Trump continued his despicable, dehumanizing portrayal of immigrants as non-human. “Democrats said please don’t call immigrants animals,” he said during an event in Michigan. “I said, no, they’re not humans, they’re animals.” This effort to stoke fears and label the non-white “other” as sub-human is flat-out dangerous and echoes the rhetoric of past authoritarians and politicians. He also continued to connect dangerous immigration rhetoric to alarming anti-democratic incitement, claiming that if he doesn’t win the election, “this may be the last election we ever have.” This notion lays the groundwork for delegitimizing election results, stoking false grievances that the power of “real Americans” is somehow being diminished by non-white immigrants. “But while his dark, lurid, and conspiratorial nativism was expected, it shouldn’t be normalized,” said Cárdenas. “And despite our collective disgust and desire to ignore or blow past Trump’s rallies, it’s important we do the opposite. America can’t afford to look away given the dangers and what’s at stake.” Read more here.
LEGAL EXPERTS AND JUDGES: S.B. 4 WENT ‘TOO FAR’
On Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans held a hearing in the ongoing litigation against Texas’ extreme “show me your papers” law. While there was no ruling that day, the large takeaway from the hearing was whether or not S.B. 4 went “too far,” as admitted by Texas’ Solicitor General arguing in favor of S.B. 4. Lawyers arguing against SB4 correctly pointed out that responsibility over immigration resides with the federal government rather than individual states. Outside the courthouse, dozens of organizations (including AV) and activists from Texas, Louisiana, and elsewhere gathered for a day of resistance against the extreme law. Edna Yang, co-director of American Gateways, told Nexstar that local communities are in fear and worry about “whether they’re going to be separated from their family, about whether, if they’re currently in an immigration process and they have a work permit, and they have a driver’s license, and they have a job, if they’re going to be affected by this law.” Cárdenas warned that if the courts uphold S.B. 4, “migrants and communities of color will have a target painted on their backs by law enforcement.” Read more here.
MAR-A-LAGO EVENT FEATURES ARCHITECT OF FAMILY SEPARATION
Trump’s campaign scapegoating immigrants continued this week, headlining an event at Mar-a-Lago with Border911, an organization led by his former acting ICE Director Tom Homan. The former Trump official was part of the group that crafted the family separation policy, which separated thousands of children from their parents at the border. Hundreds remain separated to this day. Border911 has been endorsed by several high-level Republicans, including House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, who has been at the forefront of pushing and promoting the dangerous Great Replacement Theory. Homan, meanwhile, has promised more family separation on an unprecedented scale, saying he would return to a second Trump term to help carry out the mass-purging of millions of undocumented immigrants. The Biden campaign also noted the Mar-A-Lago event, and further highlighted the extremism of the event. “Tonight’s event will reunite the architects of Trump’s ugly family separation policy and include others who will undoubtedly carry out his plans to go even further in 2025, including rounding up and deporting Dreamers and hard-working immigrants in the U.S,” said Beatriz Lopez, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub. “And this time around, they are prepared to skirt any accountability.” Read more here.
HONOR ESSENTIAL IMMIGRANT WORKERS BY GIVING THEM RELIEF
In her weekly column, America’s Voice consultant Maribel Hastings writes that the Baltimore bridge tragedy shines an important light on the vital roles played by immigrant workers, millions of whom lack legal immigration status and play essential roles in caregiving, agriculture and construction. “Historically, these immigrants perform difficult and vital jobs,” Hastings writes. “But they are invisible to a large part of the population and to the political class, until some event exposes the important role they play in our lives and in the economy.” These workers also performed their essential work during the pandemic, many in agriculture and meatpacking becoming sick. Hastings notes that “logic would lead us to conclude that if something is essential, it is indispensable and, therefore, these workers should be legalized.” But relief proposed by Democrats has not passed Congress, while Republicans led by Trump have demonized these workers as criminals and “animals.” President Biden, for his part, plans to visit the scene of the Baltimore tragedy today. Hastings writes that the president could use this moment to recognize immigrants’ contributions and promote relief, including work permits. Her column was also published in several outlets, including La Opinión, Radio Bilingüe and La Tribuna Hispana. Read her column in Spanish here.
BALTIMORE REMINDS OF VITAL ROLE OF IMMIGRANT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
The tragedy in Baltimore is a reminder of the vital roles that immigrant workers play in the construction industry. “Construction work has long played a critical role for the immigrant community as a fundamental employer, a skill-building opportunity, and a source of entrepreneurialism,” Dr. Carlos Martín wrote in 2016. Roughly 2.2 million construction workers are immigrants, representing a historic high. Immigrants comprise nearly 40% of the construction workforce in the Baltimore and Washington region. “In some areas of the country, such as the Southwest, all work crews are immigrants,” Dr. Martín continued. “This trend is even more pronounced in some hazardous occupations, like construction laborers, roofers, and drywallers.” This trend isn’t new. Chinese immigrants built the western section of the transcontinental railroad during the second half of the 19th century, hailed as one of the greatest engineering feats in U.S. history. But many perished, and these essential workers still bear the brunt of injuries and fatalities today. “As an essential worker, I share my story knowing that many people in Maryland and across the country can relate to my fallen colleagues and their families,” CASA member Victoriano Almendares said during a press conference last week. The group lost two members in the bridge tragedy. “One day we may be here, and the next we may not—that’s the risk of being a construction worker, sacrificing for our families.” Read more here.
S.B. 4 IS AN ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL, XENOPHOBIC, POLITICAL STUNT’
Ivonne Rodriguez, Director of Communications at AV, was in New Orleans as the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the litigation against Texas’ S.B. 4 law. In her TikTok, Rodriguez captured the day’s events, which included a rally and press conference. Advocates made it clear that the law is harmful to immigrants, Texans, and all Americans. As Daniel from the Texas Civil Rights Project said during the rally, “let’s call SB 4 what it is: an unconstitutional, xenophobic, political stunt whose goal is to harm immigrant communities.” Click here to watch and share our TikTok featuring Ivonne and advocates fighting back against this law.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
In a major win for immigrant workers and their families, the Biden administration has extended work permits for roughly 800,000 immigrants who were at risk of losing their permission to work due to USCIS processing delays. “The two largest groups benefited by the change will be asylum-seekers and foreign nationals who are in the process of changing their status to permanent residency,” The Hill reported. Among the workers who stand to benefit from the 540-day work permit extension is Anar Boldbaatar, an asylum seeker from Mongolia and member of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP). “Because of this extension, I will be able to renew my driver’s license and not lose my job working as a truck driver,” Boldbaatar said in a statement received by AV. “I know I am one of many ASAP members and other immigrants who have been worrying that we may lose our jobs because of delays in processing work permit renewal applications. I am relieved to be able to tell my work that they can count on me, and grateful I can keep supporting my family, and doing much-needed work in my community.” Read more here.
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