| Friend, The Trump administration has issued new arrest quotas for ICE, demanding that they detain 1,200 to 1,500 people per day, all to carry out Trump’s mad vision of deporting “millions and millions.”(1) The impacts of these deranged policies are clear: thousands of undocumented Americans are living in fear in their own homes and communities, afraid to access healthcare, send their children to school, visit grocery stores, and go to work. Families are being ripped apart as people who have been in this country for decades are sent back to unfamiliar places. Indigenous and other Black and brown citizens are being detained by racist, ill-informed ICE officers. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Congress has the power to resist Trump’s out-of-control deportation machine. So far, they have failed to do so, which is why we must speak up now.
The Trump administration is conducting its cruel deportation program under the recently-passed Laken Riley Act, which is supposed to target violent criminals. But ALL immigrants, even documented ones, are being targeted. Members of Congress can refuse to fund immigration raids or detention centers, reject Trump nominees, vote no on xenophobic policies, conduct oversight visits of immigration detention centers, and speak out forcefully to pressure the Trump administration to walk back their illegal actions. By using every tool at their disposal, they can grind the process to a halt, delay the implementation of Trump’s racist and xenaphobic policies, and keep families together. The level of deportations proposed by the Trump administration is not only immoral, but also damaging to our states' economies. Research indicates that if Trump is successfully able to carry out his deportation plans, it will lead to a loss of 4.2 percent to 6.8 percent of annual U.S. GDP, with California, Florida, and Texas feeling the impact most acutely.(2) Undocumented people are essential members of our communities. They work, go to school, and worship alongside us. In California alone, they pay $8.5 billion in taxes, fueling our economy.(3) Thank you for being with us. –Irene, along with Annie, Angela, Isidra, Cecilia, Jen, and Lindsay (the Courage team)
Footnotes:  |
||||