As news broke today of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto cancelling his Jan. 31 meeting with President Donald Trump over his border wall actions, advocacy groups and lawmakers lined up to condemn Trump’s immigration stance.
Lambda Legal CEO Rachel B. Tiven released he following statement calling Trump’s actions “un-American:” “Donald Trump’s latest executive orders are simply un-American. We are not a country that discriminates against people based on religion or nationality. We are not a country that builds walls between ourselves and the rest of world. As a Jew whose grandparents watched in frustration while President Roosevelt refused to admit refugees from Nazi Germany, I am embarrassed for my country today.
America is a beacon for LGBT people around the world, and restricting rather than expanding access to our shores harms us all. Donald Trump’s actions may score him points with his political base, but those points will come at the expense of lives lost, families broken apart, and billions of taxpayer dollars wasted.”
San Diego’s Sen. Toni G. Atkins reaffirmed Gov. Jerry Brown’s statement that “… California is a ‘beacon of hope’ to immigrants from all over the world” saying, “After listening to Donald Trump on the campaign trail, we shouldn’t be surprised that he is pursuing these irrational, mean-spirited and misguided executive orders. But that doesn’t make them any easier to accept.
“Gov. Brown said just yesterday that California is a ‘beacon of hope’ to immigrants from all over the world. In turn, immigrants contribute greatly to our culture and our economy. And part of what makes San Diego such a vibrant city is its rich human diversity, and much of that is thanks to immigrants, many who come from the places Donald Trump is afraid of. His orders threaten great harm to the efforts of many people and organizations who for many years have been working to strengthen regional economic and cultural ties between the San Diego and Tijuana regions.
“I’d like to take the president on a tour of San Diego’s City Heights, to show him the kinds of people and communities he’s turning his back on. To close America’s doors to people seeking freedom and a better life is shameful. I hope and pray that Mr. Trump is soon visited by some better angels.”
Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) today issued the following statement condemning Donald Trump’s immigration actions: “Trump is operating as if his divisive and hateful campaign promises have legal merit. They do not, and we will not back down. San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City and California will remain a refuge for everyone regardless of immigration status.
I will continue to support policies that protect our community. Among other measures, I am proudly co-authoring Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León’s SB 54 to make sure ICE does not deport our friends and families based on minor offenses that disproportionally impact brown and black communities.”
Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization alled Trump’s actions ” … an absolute contempt for American values of freedom and religious liberty.”
“The executive actions that Donald Trump has and is expected to sign this week show an absolute contempt for American values of freedom and religious liberty,” said Robinson. “From defunding “sanctuary cities” to expanding detention centers for undocumented immigrants to ordering a ban on refugees and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, Trump is moving forward with a plot against America, selling off American values just so he and his friends can make a buck. We still don’t know what taxes, if any, Trump pays, but now we’re being forced to foot a bill for billions of taxpayer dollars to build a U.S.-Mexican border wall. Meanwhile Trump’s cronies in the private prison industry will be lining their pockets as more detention centers are built on the border.
“As Trump goes back on the promise America has made to its immigrants, Black communities must be especially vigilant in ensuring the safety and security of the millions of Black immigrants in the U.S. In cities like Miami and New York City, close to a third of all Black people are immigrants—including many from Somalia and Sudan, from where Trump plans to ban all immigration. About three-in-ten African immigrants nationally are refugees. All Black Americans—whether born in America or abroad—must work to ensure that members of our communities are welcome to come and stay in this country. America’s very identity depends on it.”
