INVOCATION OF 1798 WARTIME ACT IS ‘TIP OF VERY DANGEROUS SPEAR’ AIMED AT OUR CONSTITUTION
The Trump administration’s invocation of a 1798 wartime act to help carry out his mass deportations agenda is unlawful, a dangerous expansion of executive power, and the “tip of a very dangerous spear” aimed at our personal liberties, America’s Voice reacted. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was infamously used to justify the internment of Japanese, German, and Italians during World War II, and advocates now warn that the administration is invoking this wartime act to abuse immigration policy and law in a way that should raise alarms for all Americans. Already, the administration is igniting a constitutional crisis by seemingly ignoring a federal judge’s order to pause deportation flights, AV said on Wednesday. “Ripped from the playbook of authoritarian movements, it’s not hyperbolic to say they are looking to dismantle the country’s core principles, viewing the executive branch and state power as means to seek political retribution, crack down on free speech and subvert or ignore the rule of law,” responded Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas. “To push back and stand up for a different vision of America, we need to be clear eyed about what we’re seeing and the larger stakes and not pretend it’s business as usual.” Read our statement from Saturday here and our statement from Wednesday here.
THE FACTS ABOUT WHO TRUMP IS REALLY TARGETING
The Trump administration continues to escalate its ruthless effort to expel immigrants, block refugees from seeking asylum, and sow fear within the immigrant community. As our “At What Cost?” campaign highlights, all Americans will pay a high price because of Trump and Republicans’ chaotic and cruel mass deportation obsessions. Among the many recent examples of the administration’s unsparing deportations of parents, long-settled immigrants, and others far removed from the “worst of the worst” pledge of this administration include the wife of a Trump supporter in Wisconsin, Venezuelan parents detained in D.C. despite holding active Temporary Protected Status, a Hmong American mom of five who was deported to Laos, a country she has never even visited, and a Canadian actress who appeared in an “American Pie” movie. Despite having a valid work visa, she was thrown into a private prison for weeks. “The Trump administration’s deportation dragnet is indiscriminate, harming people with no criminal records with devastating and harmful consequences for our families and our communities,” responded Cárdenas. “This scorched earth policy comes at a high cost for all Americans.” Read more here.
‘IF YOU’RE IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME … THEY ARE ALSO GOING TO TAKE YOU’
In her weekly column, America’s Voice consultant Maribel Hastings writes that Trump’s deportations are also affecting the immigrant community in Puerto Rico, particularly the sizable Dominican population that has made the commonwealth their home and contributed to the labor force and local economy. “That’s the case for Pedro, a construction worker whose life and that of his friends and family have been turned upside-down since Trump initiated his indiscriminate operations,” she writes. “Pedro resides in western Puerto Rico, to which the fear and uncertainty of Trump’s operations extend, though the urban centers of the capital San Juan, where the bulk of the Dominican community resides, is where ICE agents are looking for ‘criminals.’” Pedro said he’s been forced to take precautionary measures, “like avoiding crowds or going to places where there are a lot of Dominicans.” Others simply cannot work at all, which not only affects their households, but also relatives who receive remittances. Pedro’s mom has breast cancer, and he fears not being able to help provide for her like before. “I want them to keep this in mind,” he continued. “We have families that depend on us. Do something for the immigrant who benefits this country with his work.” Her column was also published in several outlets, including La Opinión, Radio Bilingüe, and La Tribuna Hispana. Read her column in English here and Spanish here.
MARCO RUBIO: A CAREER IN BACKSLIDING AND SPINELESSNESS
The Trump administration is threatening the personal freedoms of all Americans – and it’s doing so with the signature of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The brutal targeting of green card-holder Mahmoud Khalil has put this on full display for the nation and the world. ICE’s effort to deport Khalil rests solely on a determination by Rubio, who is using Cold War-era law as the basis to deport the activist because the administration simply doesn’t agree with his views. We have known of the authoritarian vision that Trump has had for our nation since he descended the golden escalators of Trump Tower a decade ago this June. But for Rubio – who frequently touted the story of his Cuban exile parents and as a member of the Senate’s 2013 Gang of Eight co-authored a pathway to citizenship for millions of long-settled immigrant contributors – it’s the coda to a career of backsliding and sucking up and spinelessness. At the same time, Rubio was silent when Trump and JD Vance shamefully berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, instead sinking into an Oval Office couch. Would “Little Marco” recognize himself from 2010? Probably not. Read more here.
TRUMP IS GOING AFTER OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
The Trump administration’s ultimate goal is about deciding who gets to be an American, stoking fear, consolidating power, and undermining the very foundation of our democracy. Mass deportation is key to its goal of dismantling our nation’s constitutional principles and values. We cannot let Trump resurrect the stained chapters of our history. Click here to watch our video and then contact your members of Congress and demand they speak out.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
International Rescue Committee (IRC) has shared the heartwarming video of an Afghan family that has been reunited in the U.S. after nearly four years of separation. “In 2021, Faiz and his family were living in Afghanistan,” a narrator says. “Then, everything changed.” The family was separated following the Taliban’s takeover of the country, and has not been together since. But since that awful day, dad Faiz has been working with IRC staff to complete paperwork and security vetting to bring his loved ones to America, Just one family member, son Wasiqullah, was left. Recently, they were finally reunited. In the video, Wasiqullah embraces his dad and plays around with his little brother, joking that he’s looking forward to arguing again. “I can’t explain how, in a word, how I’m happy,” he said. IRC notes that while the family’s reunification was not impacted by the administration’s attack on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, many other families have not been so fortunate and remain separated. “We’re proud to be part of the story of Faiz’s family and so many others like them,” IRC said. “We’ll never stop fighting to keep refugees families together and safe.” Click here to watch the family’s joyous reunion.
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