tags: , Press Releases

Listicle #51: Your Quick Summary Of the Week From America’s Voice

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FOCUS ON DESTRUCTIVE MASS DEPORTATION

“The right wing continues outlining their cruel, dangerous, and destructive plans for America,” America’s Voice Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas said in a press statement this week responding to former ICE Acting Director Tom Homan saying that if “Trump comes back in January, I’ll be on his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen,” at a conservative nationalist conference. As the GOP gathers in Milwaukee for their convention next week and Trump, lamely, tried to distance himself from Project 2025, the party released their platform promising to “CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY,” (in all caps). “Every Republican needs to make clear where they stand. Just like Project 2025, the more Americans learn about the toll and implications of Donald Trump’s dangerous and damaging second-term vision, as reflected in the official Republican platform, the more unpopular and toxic it will become,” said Vanessa. AV continued to stress the disastrous mass deportation promises and how they would impact the home state of one of the top VP possibilities, Sen. Marco Rubio: ”Across America, Trump and Stephen Miller’s dark vision would rip apart virtually every state and community that has absorbed long-established immigrants who contribute essential work every day to keep America’s economy strong. In Florida, mass deportation of immigrant communities would devastate the state’s economy.” Read more here.

PUSHING BACK ON DISINFO SURROUNDING SUPPOSED NON-CITIZEN VOTERS

This week the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8281, a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. No matter that non-citizens voting in federal elections is exceedingly rare, already illegal, and already punished severely when it happens. The bill, backed by Speaker Mike Johnson, former President Trump and nativist Rep. Chip Roy, passed on a mostly party-line vote, with 5 Democrats joining all Republicans. AV held a webinar to brief reporters ahead of the floor vote, with experts from the Brennan Center for Justice, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, UnidosUS, the Declaration for American Democracy coalition and our own Senior Director of Research, Zachary Mueller. AV also issued fact sheets on the disinformation surrounding non-citizen voting in English and Spanish. AV issued a statement after the bill passed highlighting the links to white nationalist conspiracy theories: “The lies about non-citizen voting and the related mainstreaming of ‘replacement’ conspiracies are a dangerous assault on American democracy, instigates the possibility of more political violence and attacks against immigrants,” said Vanessa. Read more here.

ON IMMIGRATION, PROJECT 2025 REFLECTS TRUMP’S ESSENCE

In her weekly column, America’s Voice consultant Maribel Hastings writes that in denying any association with the Heritage Foundation’s dystopian Project 2025, Trump “is acting like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.” In a post on his social media site, the GOP presidential nominee and convicted felon claimed he knows “nothing about Project 2025,” and that he has “no idea who is behind it.” But as Hastings notes, “Trump does know who they are and what they have done; they work as a team,” pointing to the fact that more than 80% of Project 2025’s authors and editors had formal roles within his administration. “Project 2025 is a compendium of all of Trump’s public policies and strategies for a second term if he is elected on November 5,” including horrific mass deportations that also threaten the civil liberties of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who can’t immediately prove to the red state army that they live here. “It also wants to revive other controversial programs like Remain in Mexico, the Muslim ban, and Title 42, to name a few,” Hastings continues. “This is the same obsession of Trump, who cannot deny that, on immigration, Project 2025 reflects his essence.” Her column was also published in several outlets, including La OpiniónEl Diario, and Radio BilingüeRead her column in English here and in Spanish here.

11,000 SWORN IN AS U.S. CITIZENS DURING JULY 4 CELEBRATION

11,000 immigrants were sworn in as new Americans during the week of the July 4 holiday, doubling the figures from last year’s Independence Day observance. Among the new Americans this year is former DACA recipient Ellie Perez-Pawlosk. While the Arizonan has lived here for nearly her entire life, “things that many do every day now take on a new meaning for her,” Arizona’s Family reported. “I’ve said the pledge and I’ve sang the national anthem so many years before without being a citizen, and today I got to do it as a citizen,” she said. Naturalization ceremonies were held in over two dozen states and overseas for military service members. In Virginia, nearly 100 immigrants were sworn in at a ceremony at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The center’s manager of public programs took a moment to acknowledge immigrants’ hard work. “It’s to celebrate the achievements of these people, who have gone through a lot of hard work to become a US citizen,” he said. “It’s also to remind all Americans about the importance of citizenship.” Back in Arizona, Perez-Pawloski said that while it’s a relief to her that she no longer has to worry about renewing her DACA every two years, “but it’s also a reminder of the so many people that are in limbo; so many people that are still waiting,” she said. She’s now determined to help other immigrants achieve this life-changing goal. Read more here.

PROJECT 2025 IS THE BLUEPRINT FOR A SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Don’t let Trump fool you when he claims that he knows nothing about Project 2025 and its creators, America’s Voice Administrative Assistant Olivia Butts warns in a new TikTok. From mass deportations to rolling back Americans’ rights by restricting autonomy over their own bodies, Project 2025 should be considered the definitive blueprint for a second Trump presidency. Click here to watch our TikTok and share the truth about Trump and the former Trump official-led Project 2025.

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS

Texas advocates scored a momentous win earlier this month, when a sound-minded judge blocked corrupt Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s despicable attempt to shut down Annunciation House, the faith-based migrant aid charity that has served the El Paso community for decades. In his pair of rulings, 205th District Judge Francisco Dominguez found that Paxton’s office had violated the organization’s religious freedoms and used a records request as an excuse to go after humanitarian workers and vulnerable clients. We agree. Paxton launched his gross political campaign against Annunciation House by accusing the faith-based charity – without a single shred of evidence – of helping facilitate human smuggling. Paxton’s baseless accusations even drew blowback from Pope Francis, who called Texas’ attack “sheer madness.” Annunciation House founder Ruben Garcia said that he celebrated the judge’s ruling and hoped it would bring Paxton’s attacks “to an end. That’s my hope, that would be my prayer.” However, Paxton now has his sights on at least four other borderlands groups. While the future of those cases remains unclear, what we do know is that it’s up to all of us to keep standing up for these organizations to ensure that they can continue carrying out their important work. Read more here.

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