John, the Trump administration and his GOP majority in the House and Senate have wasted no time attacking our immigrant communities.
First, on Day 1 in the Oval Office, Trump signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, which is a constitutional right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. It’s a massive legal overreach and would have devastating impacts on millions of children born to undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Then, he authorized ICE to conduct arrests in sensitive areas that were previously off-limits like schools, courthouses, and places of worship. He also threatened mass deportations and raids in cities across the country, including sanctuary cities, sending immigrant communities into fear and hiding.
Now, Trump is about to sign the Laken Riley Act into law after 12 Senate Democrats and 46 House Democrats joined Republicans in passing it. As Rashida Tlaib stated, “This bill puts a target on the back of millions of our neighbors and increases the militarization of our neighborhoods,” opening the door to detain and deport immigrants merely accused of a crime without due process.
AOC rightly pointed out how this is a huge handout to private prison companies, tweeting, “GEO Group is the nation’s largest private prison company. Look for the members of Congress who either buy their stock or take their money and vote YES on this bill. They are not voting for you - they’re voting to enrich themselves.”
Not a single Justice Democrat voted for this bill. For our incumbents, this is deeply personal—Delia Ramirez, a vocal immigration advocate, has shared her own husband’s vulnerability to deportation, while Rashida passionately opposed the bill, condemning its fearmongering and warning how such policies could even target citizens. She spoke of her fear that people like her mother could be stopped and profiled.
Far too many establishment and corporate Democrats are turning their backs on immigrants for the sake of bipartisanship with MAGA Republicans or their own personal gain.
With Trump in office for the next four years and more attacks on immigrants to come, we need to elect as many progressives as we can to help take back the House in 2026 and re-center human rights in the Democratic Party.
In solidarity,
Justice Democrats