Dear John,
The images coming out of the Florida Everglades are haunting. What the administration has dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz"—a sprawling detention facility with the capacity to hold 5,000 immigrants—represents a new low in the US government’s treatment of people seeking safety and opportunity. The existence of this facility signals a terrifying escalation in the administration's commitment to mass deportation at unprecedented speed and scale.
What should keep us all awake at night is this: everything we're witnessing now has been accomplished on a budget that represents just a fraction of what Congress recently allocated for immigration enforcement. In a recent analysis published by WOLA, we broke down how the administration plans to use the $170 billion allocated towards immigration enforcement, expanding detention centers, building more walls, and ramping up deportations, while law enforcement is given unprecedented power. The nightmare we're living through is about to become exponentially worse.
The conditions immigrants face in these facilities are nothing short of deplorable. Families are being torn apart, children are being lost in an overwhelmed system, and the climate of terror extends far beyond those directly detained. Entire communities are living in fear, as immigrants are being rounded up at their jobs and outside their immigration court hearings with little to no due process.
We are witnessing the systematic dismantling of the U.S.'s identity as a nation built by immigrants. The language of dehumanization has allowed cruelty to become policy. This moral retreat is not confined to U.S. borders. The United States has simultaneously abandoned its commitments to the international community, withdrawing from foreign aid programs, dismantling USAID, and reducing the State Department's resources. The retreat of American leadership risks causing 14 million deaths in 5 years worldwide, while the elimination of American diplomatic infrastructure means there is virtually no hope for sustainable democracy funding or civil society programming in countries across our region.
Yet even in this darkest moment, WOLA refuses to surrender to despair. We recognize that in these troubling times, visibility and dignity serve as forms of resistance; however, we also believe deeply that joy itself is a form of resistance. This conviction drove our Pride campaign in June. We hosted a webinar on LGBTIQ+ resistance to authoritarianism, joined the Council for Global Equality Coalition to strengthen connections on queer issues at the international level, and created a series of powerful social media content that elevated the voices of our partners throughout the region. This campaign allowed us to send a vital message of hope about dignity—that every person deserves to be treated with humanity, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
As we continue to send this message of hope and resistance, we find ourselves navigating increasingly treacherous terrain that demands more resources than ever before. The stakes could not be higher, and we cannot do this work alone. Your partnership has never been more essential.
Will you make a donation to WOLA today to help us continue fighting for immigrant rights, democratic values, and human dignity when they are under the most sustained attack in our lifetime?
The moment demands everything we have to give—but together, we can meet it.
In solidarity,
