Attorneys of Deported U.S. Citizen Children and Texas Detainee Join Immigration and Latino Leaders to Reflect on First 100 Days 

Access a recording of the virtual event HERE

Access online version of the press release HERE

Washington, DC — America’s Voice hosted a virtual press event to assess the first 100 Days of the Trump administration on immigration. The event featured attorneys of affected families that exemplify the overreach and implications of the mass deportation agenda, along with immigration and Latino policy and political experts.

Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice: “This week marked 100 days of living in Trump’s America, marked by chaos and turmoil, including attacks on long-standing immigrant neighbors, our communities, our economy, and our democratic way of life. We’ve seen the weaponization of government agencies to hunt immigrants and crush dissent. The abduction of legal permanent residents and U.S. citizens. Most alarming is the unprecedented flouting of due process and our Constitution. We’ve also seen the American public recoil from what we’re all experiencing. On immigration, Americans are rejecting the unnecessary cruelty and overreach and connecting it to broader costs and concerns regarding the rule of law, the tanking economy, and broader chaos and extremism.”

Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director, National Immigration Project, spoke about U.S. citizen children being sent to Honduras without parental consent, noting: “These families were detained without warning, denied lawyers, and given no chance to make real decisions. U.S. citizen children were unlawfully deported, along with their moms and another child, in the dead of night. The mothers were detained incommunicado and their children unlawfully held in custody, and ICE did not even follow its own policy for how situations with families and children should be handled. They were not given an opportunity to make meaningful choices for their children or to pursue legal filings for themselves. This is just another example of the dragnet enforcement approach the administration has been taking over the past 100 days.”

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration attorney based in Austin, Texas, is representing a detainee held at the Bluebonnet detention facility in Texas who is married to a U.S. citizen. She said: “Since the election, I’ve given more than 30 presentations to immigrant communities who contribute every day as workers, business owners, and caregivers and are our neighbors. These are not criminals. They are human beings with hopes, families, and dreams. They love this country. And they want to build a life here the right way. They deserve dignity and not detention. As someone who lives and breathes this work every day, I am asking the American people and our leaders to choose compassion and let’s choose common sense. We rely on immigrants, and instead of tearing families apart, let’s focus on keeping them together. The destruction of blended families is not the answer.”

Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Policy Analyst, US Immigration Policy Program, Migration Policy Institute said: “As the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement, fast deportation practices that were historically used only at the border are now being expanded into the interior, limiting due process and access to humanitarian protection. The Migration Policy Institute’s new article on the Trump administration’s immigration record 100 days in reviews these developments and more.”

Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Vice President, Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS said: “At the 100-day mark, the biggest chasm between the administration’s actions and Latino voters is on immigration. Eight in ten Hispanic voters believe it’s important to deport dangerous criminals, but that President Trump and congressional Republicans should not target long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records, and nearly two thirds oppose deporting undocumented immigrants without court hearings. Latino voters want policies that are firm, fair and free of cruelty, but that is not what they are witnessing in their communities. We believe that is a big reason why two-thirds believe the rule of law is failing and the constitution is being violated.” Earlier this week, UnidosUS released a bipartisan poll of Hispanic voters (see here).

• Access a recording of today’s virtual event HERE

Additional Resources – 100 Days of the Trump Administration

• UnidosUS press release: “Nearly Two-Thirds of Hispanic Voters Believe Country is Headed in the Wrong Direction; 70% of Them Hold President Trump Responsible,” featuring findings from the “First 100 Days Bipartisan Poll of the Hispanic Electorate,” released by UnidosUS, Voces Unidas, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Climate Power en Acción.

• MPI article summarizing the Trump administration’s first 100

days immigration actions and link to accompanying webinar 

• Read the America’s Voice memo, “100 Days Roundup: The Current Polling and Politics of Immigration,” synthesizing the findings from polls over the first 100 days of this administration and highlighting four key takeaways and lessons for those seeking to offer opposition and an alternative to the Trump administration on immigration.

• Read the America’s Voice fact sheet, “High Costs, No Benefits: 100 Days of Trump’s Immigration Agenda,” detailing costs to Americans’ health and retirement security; costs to the U.S. economy; costs to Americans’ safety and security; and costs to Americans’ values and freedoms.

• Check out the America’s Voice website repository on 100 Days of Trump, featuring a digital toolkit, social media graphics, blogs, memos and fact sheets: https://americasvoice.org/high-costs-no-benefits/