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An Urgent Message from the Immigrant Rights Frontlines |
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Dear John, The results of the U.S. election have left many of us in shock and we want to take a minute to honor our outrage, our grief and our fears. But as human rights defenders, we cannot afford to let the moment paralyze us. During the first Trump administration, we witnessed firsthand the horrific violence inflicted upon our communities: the racial violence, the brutality of family separation, the Muslim bans, and attempts to decimate asylum. In this second term, we are expecting the trauma and rights’ violations to escalate. The crisis we face is not new. A massive deportation machine has been built over years of racially discriminatory policing, designed to criminalize, scapegoat, and label migrants as a security threat. These securitization narratives provide the physical and ideological infrastructure for Trump to normalize the deportation of millions of people. The key elements include an expansive immigration police force, a heavily fortified border, and a rapidly expanding surveillance infrastructure that enables data-sharing and collaboration between local police forces and ICE. All of these factors, along with an expanding network of both private and public prisons, contribute to the detention of immigrants under inhumane and deplorable conditions. The dangerous normalization of this system means that we are facing not only unjust immigration policies, but an existential threat to human rights—one that we must fight with every ounce of courage and capacity that we have. |
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All gifts made before January 1st are tax deductible this year. |
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At NNIRR, we are not waiting for these attacks to hit. We are already mobilizing grassroots, national and international partners to prepare a multifaceted response. - Community Defense: We are using a disaster justice lens to build on the ground capacity to protect those most vulnerable to detention. We are building community networks across border cities to identify those most at risk, prepare local plans in case of immigration raids, and urge all local communities at the border and beyond to lift up human rights standards and values to confront anti-immigrant efforts.
- National and International Advocacy: We will work with state level and national partners to oppose the mass deportation regime, and appeal to international organizations to condemn and fight migrant criminalization and dehumanization.
We cannot do this alone. The moment for action is now, and we need your help to strengthen our response. |
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Here’s how you can act immediately: - Donate Now: Your urgent contribution will directly support our efforts to build community defense capacity and resistance to the mass deportation machine, including support for legal efforts and political pressure.
- Take Action: We are building a united front, but we need your skills, your energy, and your support to make it stronger. Are you a lawyer, an artist, a web designer, or student organizer and want to get involved? Reach out to [email protected], we need your presence and your skills!
- Stand with Us: Become a monthly sustainer, organize locally, and help us mobilize people power to resist this dangerous agenda. Let us know about your efforts and ideas to collaborate here [email protected].
The next few months will be pivotal. The fight for immigrant rights has never been more urgent, and the resources we need to fight back are desperately short. We cannot afford to wait or delay—we must act now. Please, stand with us in this fight. Your support is not just important—it’s absolutely critical at this moment. |
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