THAT WAS A WEEK!
Political violence, a VP nomination, a convention loaded with lies, disinformation, and incitements to violence, a major political party chanting in unison “Send Them Home,” and a long (longest) rambling speech by the number one opponent of immigration; those are just some of the events this week. Throughout, America’s Voice tried to keep the focus on the violent downstream consequences of the GOP’s rhetoric and lies about immigrants and the massive cost and agony that mass deportation would cause. We issued statements and digital content on the incident of gun violence that wounded Trump, the selection of anti-immigrant stalwart J.D. Vance as veep nominee, egregious rhetoric promoting the invasion and replacement conspiracy theories on multiple nights of the RNC, culminating in Trump’s ugly vision. AV also prepared fact sheets, backgrounders, and tools to help journalists cover, contextualize, and fact-check convention messages, including a fact sheet on immigrants in Wisconsin that underscores the cost of mass deportation, as well as partnered with several groups on mobile billboards spotted outside the convention (see Politico’s report here and a Wisconsin Public Radio story on local advocacy here). On Tuesday, Vanessa Cárdenas hosted a teleconference for reporters featuring Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, Insha Rahman of Vera Action, Naureen Shah of the ACLU, and Kristie De Peña of the Niskanen Center (recording here). After witnessing the ugliness of the “Mass Deportation Now” signs and floor chants, Vanessa reflected, “Nothing could have prepared us for hearing thousands of people gleefully chanting ‘Send them back.’ Last night’s spectacle made it plain that the Republican Party has fully embraced a radical and extreme position on immigration and an ethnic nationalist vision for the nation. And let’s be crystal clear on this: when they say ‘send them back,’ they mean Dreamers, long-settled fathers and mothers of U.S. citizens, hard-working farmworkers, and fellow churchgoers and neighbors.” Read more here.
REAL PROGRESS ON KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER
In sharp contrast to the anti-immigrant ugliness onstage at the GOP convention, the Biden administration this week announced new progress and details following last month’s immigration actions keeping families together. In a statement, the White House said that the application process for eligible undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the country will open August 19. This action is expected to protect more than half a million immigrants with deep ties to the nation. The administration also announced a proposed rule to help eligible Dreamers and others more successfully transition from high school to college, including helping eligible students with college campus visits and college and financial aid application forms. The proposed rule is expected to help an additional 50,000 students achieve their higher education dreams per year. “The newest set of policy details and next steps show the administration is committed to turning its promise into effective implementation,” responded AV Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas. She said the actions “also offer a chance to refocus on the sharp contrast with the RNC and the ugly anti-immigrant lies, disinformation and promises of mass deportations being touted on the Milwaukee stage.” Read more here.
INCENDIARY RHETORIC AND GUNS: A COCKTAIL WITH DEADLY CONSEQUENCES
In her weekly column, America’s Voice consultant Maribel Hastings writes that the recent gun violence directed at former President Trump at his Pennsylvania rally is a sad reminder of the role that violence has played – and continues to play – in U.S. political history. “In recent years, it has manifested in various forms, from mass shootings against minorities in domestic attacks to the violent assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, by Trump’s followers.” But while Trump now claims he wants “unity” following the incident, “the reality is that the ideological postures and extremist proposals of the Republican Party continue to be the same, and will not cease with the attack. They will only intensify.” Just look at Trump’s pick for his running mate. J.D. Vance “has minimized the taking of the Capitol by Trump’s mobs.” She notes Republicans have also “swept under the rug” the fact that the shooter used a dangerous firearm they’ve ferociously defended. Anti-democratic rhetoric from Republicans also “translates into the extremist public policy proposals contained in Project 2025, which serves as a road map for a second Trump administration,” she continues. “To this cocktail, add the easy access to guns, and problems with mental health that afflict the nation. Is anyone surprised that these things occur?” Her column was also published in several outlets, including La Opinión, Arizona Republic, and Radio Bilingüe. Read her column in English here and in Spanish here.
WISCONSIN CAN’T BE AMERICA’S DAIRYLAND WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS
We expected and saw a lot of xenophobic rhetoric at the GOP convention in Milwaukee, including shocking chants of “send them back” and “MASS DEPORTATION NOW” signs. Yet its an open secret that across Wisconsin – and the United States – that industries like dairy rely on the skills and labor of immigrants. You don’t have to take our word for it. Just listen to the state’s farmers. The mass purging of these workers, “if carried out, would likely hit Wisconsin dairy farms hard,” Wisconsin Public Radio reported in April. One study estimated that roughly 6,200 workers at larger farms lack legal immigration status. And because the study excluded small farms, the total number could be even higher. Immigrants in Wisconsin also pay billions in local, state, and federal taxes every single year, contributing $2.9 billion in taxes in 2019 alone. Despite immigrants’ immense financial and cultural contributions to Wisconsin and the nation, the GOP platform under Trump and Project 2025 calls for a red state army to go door-to-door to round up and purge millions of farmworkers, construction workers, teachers, and frontline workers. Make no mistake, this will have devastating repercussions stretching far beyond immigrant communities. While Wisconsin’s essential dairy and farm workers weren’t seen in the halls of the Fiserv Forum this week, it didn’t mean their presence wasn’t felt. GOP officials and operatives who enjoyed cheese plates or crudité in swanky VIP rooms had an immigrant to thank (but they probably didn’t). Read more here.
IF YOU’RE A U.S. CITIZEN, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE
America’s Voice legal advisor David Leopold has a new TikTok addressing a worry he’s heard from some U.S. citizen voters: does voting or registering to vote put an undocumented loved one in my household at risk? “The answer is a resounding no,” Leopold says. U.S. citizens have the right to vote, “and no circumstance, no rhetoric out there should intimidate or coerce you from registering to vote and from getting out to vote and from helping others vote who are U.S. citizens.” Click here to watch Leopold’s important message and then make sure to share it with your friends and loved ones.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar joined AV, the Niskanen Center, Vera Action, and the ACLU on a press briefing reacting to the Trump campaign’s announcement of Vance as its vice presidential pick and to preview the extreme rhetoric expected at the GOP convention, including Trump’s mass deportation plans and the GOP’s disturbing embrace of deadly white nationalist conspiracy theory. “From the reimplementation of mass detention and family separation to the threats of military force at our southern border and more, Project 2025 is a right-wing extremist’s dark vision for America that is centered around attacks on immigrant and border communities under a second Trump administration,” said Rep. Escobar. “What voters actually want is safety, security, and stability–not divisive rhetoric and plans that undermine our communities, culture, and economy,” said VERA Action’s Insha Rahman. Niskanen Center’s Kristie De Peña said these proposed policies will not “help struggling businesses and families or enhance the security and prosperity of our nation.” The ACLU’s Naureen Shah warned that a second Trump administration “would enact immigration policies that are by far crueler, more extreme, and more fundamentally damaging to core rights and freedoms than any in living memory, including former president Trump’s own 2017-21 policies.” These are dire warnings we must all take seriously. Read more here.
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