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Dear EARN community,
These are not normal times. While our work on familiar issues continues, the terrain on which we engage policymaking is shifting by the hour, and our institutions are under attack from increasingly authoritarian actions being taken by the current administration. Many of their tactics follow a similar playbook to one rightwing lawmakers have deployed at the state level for decades—making EARN groups’ expertise in analyzing policy impacts and sounding the alarm about threats especially valuable and needed at this moment. At the same time, the cruelty, recklessness, and contempt for the rule of law with which this administration is acting are shocking and unprecedented.
The abductions of international students or of workers like Kilmar Abrego Garcia and over 200 others now imprisoned in El Salvador have been particularly unsettling – evoking fear for both the welfare of the individuals involved and the constitutional rights of all U.S. residents. We also see sparks of hope in the growing chorus of labor leaders, elected officials, journalists, judges, and protestors in towns big and small speaking out loudly, calling for Abrego Garcia’s immediate return and the release of Lelo Juarez, Rumeysa Ozturk and many others, while rejecting abuses of state power and defending democracy and due process for all.
We know that EARN groups across the country are seizing opportunities with allies to spread truth amid an onslaught of disinformation and push back against damaging federal attacks, even when it requires delving into unfamiliar issues or stepping beyond comfort zones to reach new and larger audiences. From statehouse hearings to op-ed pages, social media feeds, and public rallies, EARN groups are shaping public understanding of the vital role of immigrants and what’s at risk from mass deportations; describing the harm caused by illegal federal workforce and funding cuts; explaining the damage of chaotic trade policies; and making clear what’s at stake if Congress slashes critical funding for education, healthcare, and social insurance programs.
We say this a lot, but it bears repeating, especially in the face of what we can anticipate will be more concerted attacks on our rights and institutions, that we stand in solidarity with all of you as you work to make your states and our country’s economy more just, sustainable, and equitable—and as you help provide the clarity and courage that our communities need now more than ever.
Solidarity,
The EARN team at EPI
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