AMERICA’S VOICE RESPONDS TO DEATH OF POPE FRANCIS
America’s Voice mourns the loss of Pope Francis, who used his platform to challenge both the United States and the world to recognize and treat immigrants and refugees seeking safety and new lives for what they are: human beings. “Pope Francis’ leadership and example were a bright light and a source of comfort for immigrants and refugees worldwide,” said AV Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas. “His passing leaves a deep void, yet this is a moment to follow his lead and recommit to the cause of justice and dignity for immigrants and refugees.” Read more here.
OVER HIS FIRST 100 DAYS, TRUMP LOSES ADVANTAGE ON IMMIGRATION
As Americans have now experienced nearly 100 days of the Trump administration, they’ve seen the scope of unsparing mass deportations and how attacks on immigrants also take aim at U.S. citizens and our core values. As a result, Trump’s approval ratings on immigration are slipping. In a new memo, AV synthesizes new polls and highlights key takeaways. “There are clear lessons on the way forward for those opposing the Trump chaotic and cruel anti-immigrant agenda on how to push back, chart broader solutions, and connect with a strong majority of the American public,” says Cárdenas. Read more here.
THIS IS WHAT MASS DEPORTATION LOOKS LIKE
In ongoing installments of “This is What Mass Deportation Looks Like,” we highlight the administration’s efforts to turbocharge deportations at risk to all Americans. Of note, the litany of errors from billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE – such as sending notices telling U.S. citizens to deport – underscores how Trump’s anti-immigrant obsession will claw into the lives of Americans as well. “Just as troubling is the complete silence from leading lawmakers with supposed concerns about the power of the state and the federal government prying into American families’ lives and sensitive information,” said Cárdenas. Read more here.
TRUMP’S ANTI-IMMIGRANT DRAGNET IS SWEEPING UP U.S. CITIZENS
The administration’s unsparing detentions and deportations are rapidly extending to U.S. citizens and legal residents. In Arizona, a New Mexico teen who was visiting the state was detained and held for nearly 10 days by Border Patrol before his case was dismissed by a judge. Meanwhile, abducted Maryland dad Kilmar Abrego García, a long-settled resident granted deportation protection under Trump’s first term, remains locked up in a prison in El Salvador in spite of a Supreme Court ruling that states he should be allowed back home. “We have long said that attacks on immigrants are just the tip of the spear of unchecked government intrusion on the liberties of all,” Cárdenas said. Read more here.
MORE FRANCISES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO DEFEND IMMIGRANTS
In her weekly column, America’s Voice consultant Maribel Hastings writes that with Pope Francis’ death, “the voice of one of the most ardent defenders of immigrants and refugees” has been silenced – and at a time when the U.S. is ramping up an anti-immigrant crusade. While it is a time to mourn, the Pope’s legacy should inspire us to resist, she writes. “Certainly, at this juncture, more Francises are urgently needed to defend immigrants.” Her column was also published in outlets including La Opinión, El Periódico USA, and La Tribuna Hispana. Read her column in English here and Spanish here.
THE POPE’S CALL TO WELCOME THE STRANGER ‘WILL ECHO ON’
As noted by Hastings, the Pope is being remembered as a stalwart defender of the rights, dignity, and humanity of immigrants and refugees. His first trip outside of Vatican City following his election in 2013 was to visit the small Italian island of Lampedusa, where he threw a wreath into the Mediterranean to commemorate the thousands of migrants who have tragically drowned in its waters. He continued speaking out in defense of these communities through the end of his life, including against mass deportation policy. His voice may be gone, said Global Refuge’s Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, “but his call to welcome the stranger and protect the vulnerable will echo on.” Read more here.
100 DAYS OF CHAOS AND DISORDER
“Hands off Social Security and Medicare.” “No kings in America.” “Supreme Court says to bring him back.” It’s clear that Americans are getting fed up with 100 days of chaos and lawlessness. Click here to read and share our new Substack on public backlash to Trump’s chaotic policies and attacks on due process.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
Reps. Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), and Maxine Dexter (OR-3) have been the latest Congressional members to attempt to visit Maryland dad Kilmar Abrego García and other men abducted to El Salvador by the Trump administration. This fight isn’t just about one man, the members said. “This is about due process that every person in the United States deserves due process under the Constitution, regardless of whether they are a citizen, a temporary resident, a student on a visa,” Rep. Garcia said. “Everyone deserves that right, and that is being right now taken apart.” Read more here.
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