John,

On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump used extremist and dehumanizing language to describe immigrants and asylum seekers in the U.S. and at our borders. He has vowed to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American History,” and he’s going to use a 226 year old law to do it.¹

The Alien Enemies Act was passed in 1798 as part of the Alien and Sedition Acts that were signed into law by our second president, John Adams. The Alien Enemies Act was last used to justify the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.²

The law allows a president to restrain, apprehend, and remove non-citizens during a “declared war” or during an “invasion” by another country. During the Republican National Convention this past summer, Donald Trump falsely claimed that the “greatest invasion in history” was occurring at the U.S. southern border.³

Demonizing those who are seeking a better life for themselves and their loved ones in the U.S. poses an extreme threat to immigrant families and our communities overall. Trump’s plan would rip families apart. Congress must hear from you.

Send a direct message to Congress telling them that immigrants are our neighbors, not enemies.

The immigration policies heralded by Donald Trump are unfortunately not new, as there is a long history of dehumanization and deportation of migrants in the U.S.

In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover announced a new program: “American Jobs for Real Americans.”⁴ The program attacked anyone who was of Mexican descent, or perceived to be of Mexican descent. It called for the passing of local laws banning the hiring of Mexican workers and unconstitutional raids, the most infamous of which happened at La Placita Park in Los Angeles, where immigration agents armed with guns and batons trapped and deported hundreds of people including many American citizens.⁵ It’s estimated that Hoover’s program deported 1.8 million people of Mexican descent.

A similar program was instituted under President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s, targeting Mexican farm workers who were employed under a guest worker program.⁶ Both the Hoover and Eisenhower deportation actions tore families apart, wreaked havoc on communities, and incorrectly transported U.S. citizens to Mexico.

Today and always, we must defend communities facing violence and injustice. One crucial opportunity to do that is happening right now: By building support for the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Senators Mazie Hirono, Cory Booker, Ed Markey, and Bernie Sanders, and by Rep. Ilhan Omar in the House of Representatives. This legislation would finally repeal the Alien Enemies Act and uphold U.S. principles of justice and fairness, ensuring that no one is detained or deported without due process.⁷

This is long overdue, but we must always take the time to do what is right. Send a message to Congress to urge them to support and pass the Neighbors Not Enemies Act today.

Thank you for all you do,

Dominique Espinoza
Policy and Strategic Partnerships Manager, CHN Action

¹ Trump vows expanded travel ban if reelected
² The Alien Enemies Act Paved the Way for Japanese American Incarceration. Let’s Keep It in the Past.
³ Trump claims 'greatest invasion in history' happening at southern border
⁴ The president who deported 1 million Mexican Americans nearly a century ago
⁵ Feb. 26, 1931: La Placita Raid
⁶ The blueprint of Trump's deportation plan: A questionable approach by Eisenhower
⁷ Hirono, Booker, Markey, Sanders Announce Neighbors Not Enemies Act