| Dear Katy, Trump ran and won on a xenophobic platform, and now his racist party and administration are helping him normalize and institutionalize hate. Trump just announced his support for Republican legislation that would make the country's visa system even more discriminatory.1 His senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, smeared the Statue of Liberty and spewed xenophobic white nationalist rhetoric from the White House podium last week.2 Funding for Trump's border wall and deportation force are back in his 2018 proposed budget.3 And now, Republicans in Congress are pushing forward cruel and callous anti-immigrant bills and attempting to use the National Defense Authorization Act, the massive Pentagon funding bill, to sneak in even more attacks on immigrants.4 This is not normal. This is not okay. Trump's war on immigrants is escalating rapidly. We cannot afford for any members of the Senate Democratic caucus to be hesitant about defending immigrants or standing up to Trump's hate. Speak out now to demand that Senate Democrats obstruct Republicans' anti-immigrant attacks with everything they've got. Tell Senate Democrats: Do everything in your power to block Trump's war on immigrants. Click here to sign the petition. Trump just publicly endorsed the RAISE Act, a bill backed by white supremacists that would cut legal immigration in half.5 This anti-immigrant bill would restrict green cards, bar immigrants from reuniting with their families and end the diversity visa lottery that many immigrants from African countries rely on to enter the United States. It would also add discriminatory measures to the visa process that would prioritize applicants with advanced degrees and require that they pass an English language test before the government can approve their visa.6 Under the RAISE Act, it would be nearly impossible for immigrants fleeing countries torn apart by war or climate change to get U.S. visas. Trump and his racist party like to sanitize their anti-immigrant extremism by claiming that they are focused on removing dangerous criminals from the country, but this legislation makes clear that they are planning to attack all immigrants. Already, Republicans in Congress have introduced several cruel and xenophobic bills that would give the federal government the power to:7,8,9 - Expand and militarize Trump's terrifying deportation army and lower standards for the agents Customs and Border Patrol hires.10
- Force local law enforcement to aid in deportations and detain immigrants in local jails.
- Prosecute and fine cities and counties that refuse to enforce immigration laws.
- Prosecute and fine undocumented immigrants and make it more difficult for them to access health care and social services.11
- Weaken immigration detention center standards and lock up more immigrants, exacerbating already overcrowded detention centers.
- End extensions of Temporary Protected Status and deny visas and citizenship to refugees and other victims of violence.
Recently, 24 Democrats sided with Trump's hateful regime and voted to advance an anti-immigrant bill in the House.12 That is completely unacceptable. We must make sure that Senate Democrats hold the line. Tell Senate Democrats: Do everything in your power to block Trump's war on immigrants. Click here to sign the petition. Since Trump signed his anti-immigrant executive orders early this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have hunted down and arrested immigrants outside their children's schools, in courthouses and in front of places of worship. Immigrant children and their families are living in fear. Trump's ICE Director James Homan has publicly threatened immigrants saying that they "should be afraid."13 Republicans have proved time and time again that they will stop at nothing to advance their heartless agenda. Congressional Republicans are trying to gut our health care and social safety net, destroy the Environmental Protection Agency, and undermine civil rights protections for women, people of color and LGBTQ people. Senate Democrats should not give Republicans an inch on their regressive immigration reforms or any part of their hateful agenda. It is clear that extremist Republicans will not give up their war on immigrants. It is also clear that if we want Democrats and Republicans of good conscience to block their attacks, we must speak out louder than ever and keep the pressure on. Add your name now. Tell Senate Democrats: Do everything in your power to block Trump's war on immigrants. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/sen_dem_immigrants/?t=8&akid=24385%2E12967895%2EtjnSXj Thank you for all you do, Nicole Regalado, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Matthew Guteri, "Donald Trump's new immigration bill is his latest effort to reverse the arc of racial justice," Quartz, Aug. 3, 2017.
- Rebekah Entralgo, "Stephen Miller attacks Satue of Liverty poem, echoing popular white nationalist talking point," ThinkProgress, Aug. 2, 2017.
- Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ron Nixon, "Trump Budget Takes Borad Aim at Undocumented Immigrants," The New York Times, May 25, 2017.
- Rebecca Kheel, "House strips anti-border wall language from defense bill," The Hill, July 12, 2017.
- Dana Liebelson and Elise Foley, "GOP Bill To Curb Legal Immigration Disproporionately Hits Nonwhite Americans," HuffPost, Feb. 9, 2017.
- David Nakamura, "Trump, GOP senators introduce bill to slash legal immigraiton levels," The Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2017.
- Rep. Raul Labrador, "H.R.2431 - Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act," introduced May 16, 2017.
- Rep. Bob Goodlatte, "H.R.2406 - Immigration and Customs Enforcement Authorization Act of 2017," introduced May 11, 2017.
- Rep. Bob Goodlatte, "H.R.2407 - United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Authorization Act," introduced May 11, 2017.
- Rafael Carranza, "Bill to drop polygraph test for some Border Patrol applicants advances," The Arizona Republic, May 18, 2017.
- Cristina Marcos, "House votes to bar undocumented immigrants from healthcare tax credits," The Hill, June 13, 2017.
- Sarah D. Wire, "Two California Democrats join with House Republicans to vote for 'Kate's Law,'" Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2017.
- Tal Kopan, "ICE director: Undocumented immigrants should be afraid,'" CNN, June 16, 2017.
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