For Immediate Release: Jan. 19, 2019
Contact: Erin Williams | ewilliams@faithinaction.org | 202-748-0699 or
Gebe Martinez | gebe.gmnetworking@gmail.com | 703-731-9505
Washington, DC — In a desperate move to get $5.7 billion for a useless southern border wall to rev up his nativist base, the president said Saturday he would offer some relief for DACA and TPS permit holders, immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years but had their lives upended when he ended their programs, only to be temporarily stopped by the courts.
The following is a statement by Richard Morales, policy and program director for Faith in Action’s immigrants’ rights campaign, LA RED:
“Trump’s cynical ploy to get his $5.7 billion for his vanity wall in exchange for temporary relief for DACA and TPS recipients is a non-starter and should be immediately rejected by congressional leaders.
“The longest government shutdown in U.S. history exists because of Trump’s white supremacist agenda, which targets brown-skinned immigrants. Trump is demanding the wall to satisfy his nativist base that wants to keep out immigrants, even though voters have rejected the wall and blame the president for the shutdown of critical government agencies, forcing 800,000 federal workers to work without pay or be furloughed.
“Even if the shutdown were to suddenly end, the deeper crises created by Trump at the border and in the interior would still need to be addressed by Congress. This week, we received proof the administration planned months in advance to separate thousands of children from their parents and jail them as a deterrence to stop immigrants from seeking refuge in the U.S. Children have died while in U.S. custody; some have been tear-gassed by U.S. border agents; asylum seekers are being denied access to the legal system to apply. Just nine miles north of the White House, asylum seeker Rosa Gutierrez Lopez waits for justice, having sought sanctuary at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda to avoid being deported and separated from her three children.
“No wall. No deals. Congress must not take the bait from a president who makes false claims about violence at the border and demonizes immigrants, regardless of status, at every opportunity.
“Congress needs to reassert its position as the third branch of government and end the shutdown by voting to override Trump’s objections. It should then engage in serious negotiations on immigration, including defunding the administration’s immoral hate agenda that includes more detention beds and deportations.
“We remind Congress of a letter delivered to leaders last month, signed by more than 1,000 clergy who work and stand with immigrant community members in every state in the U.S., which urged lawmakers to help the nation find its ‘way back from the demonizing and dehumanizing rhetoric and policies which not only sow fear and anger, but as we have seen over and over, incite acts of violence.’ We need real solutions, not political ploys.”
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Faith in Action, formerly known as PICO National Network, is the largest grassroots, faith-based organizing network in the United States. The nonpartisan organization works with 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200 cities and towns through its 46 local and state federations. For more information visit www.faithinaction.org.
