tags: Press Releases

WATCH: Immigration Advocacy Groups Preview Preparations Ahead Of Trump Inauguration, Respond To Confirmation Hearings

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A recording of the press call can be found here

 

Immigration advocacy groups prepared to counter early actions of the Trump administration, raise concerns regarding extreme Trump nominees.

 

WASHINGTON — Today, leaders from America’s Voice, CASA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Make the Road New York, and United We Dream Action held a press call outlining what they expect in the first days of President-elect Trump’s administration, previewing their response, and reacting to the ongoing confirmation hearings of Trump’s extreme nominees.

These groups have been engaged in advocating for the labor, civil and political rights of immigrants, defending DACA recipients, protecting the labor rights of immigrant communities, and promoting pathways to citizenship for those who have long lived in this country. America’s Voice, CASA, CHIRLA, Make the Road New York, and United We Dream Action were leaders in efforts to counter anti-immigrant actions in the first Trump administration – and will again be strong forces during the incoming second Trump administration.

On the press call today, representatives of the organizations highlighted their concerns regarding the confirmation hearings of Trump’s nominees and how they’re prepared to fight back against any policies that inflict harm on the immigrant community.

“We know that Trump ran on an anti-immigration platform, that our foes are powerful, and that our friends are too few and far in between,” said Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice. “We know that cruelty and fear is the point of Trump’s agenda, but here are the stubborn facts: despite what Trump and his team will lead you to believe, immigrants are key to America’s economic growth and prosperity and immigrants have always been an essential ingredient of America’s genius. They are a key part of America’s past. Immigrants are integral to America’s present and future, no matter who sits in the Oval Office.”

“We are just four days away from Donald Trump’s inauguration, and every single one of us has heard the pledges from Trump, Tom Homan, Stephen Miller, and the rest of the Trump administration to double and triple down on their plans to target immigrants at every turn, carry out raids, detentions, and deportations at an unprecedented scale,” said Greisa Martínez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream Action. “The immigrant rights movement has never stood on the sidelines when our communities are under attack and this will not be the case now. We demand our elected leaders to put their constituents above political and corporate greed and to reject the blatant political scapegoating and fear mongering by Trump and his administration that they continue to rely on to justify their anti-immigrant policy agenda.”

“We take every threat by President-elect Trump seriously. His laser focused vitriol and animosity towards immigrants, documented or not, is clearly part of the fire that animates his presidency and many of his followers. Like we did in 2016, CHIRLA is preparing, coordinating, and collaborating with city, county, state, and national leaders and movements. We are strategizing and uniting with allies and supporters, and educating and organizing our community and the public at large,” said Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. “The immigrant community of today is not the same as the immigrant community of five, ten, or fifteen years ago. What is certain today is that we’re more organized, we’re more prepared, we’re more resilient, united, and ready to face the incoming President and his administration.”

“Protecting our CASA membership and our community is our first priority. We are ready, organized, and will not back down. Together, we will protect our families, defend our communities, and fight for the dignity and justice that every person deserves. When ICE overreaches—we litigate. When policies harm our people—we organize. When local leaders fail to act—we demand better. We know from experience that we can win these battles—because we’ve done it before,” said Gustavo Torres, Executive Director of CASA.

“Our legal team at Make the Road New York and our members have lived through a Trump administration before. We have taken him and his administration to court before and we have won. We took him to court over public charge and won. We took him to court over a tax on DACA and we won. We took him to court over adding a citizenship question to the census and we won. We took him to court over expanding expedited removal and won,” said Paige Austin, Supervising Litigation Attorney of Make the Road New York. “We plan to continue to fight every step of the way while we know the incoming administration wants to scare us. Our people are resilient, and we know that we have each other to protect and to defend one another.”

“What is most notable about the confirmations this week are the two men shielded from the spotlight of Senate scrutiny: Stephen Miller and Tom Homan. They will be the ones in charge. The lack of experience in those nominated to the majors posts that oversee immigration matters and confirms as much. Both of these men have long rubbed elbows with hate groups and have spent the last several years playing a pivotal role in mainstreaming the replacement conspiracy theory. Now they are poised to use the immense power of the federal government to force their radical nationalist ideology onto the American people, irrespective of the cost.” said Zachary Mueller, Senior Research Director of America’s Voice. “It’s quite clear that their mass deportation will have devastating costs for working families, regardless of their immigration status, and exacerbating the very conditions and concerns that Miller, Homan, and their allies falsely promised these mass purges will alleviate. It will not deliver wage gains nor lower housing costs, it will not make our community safer, nor will it restore us to some perceived prior greatness.”