Massachusetts senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has released an expansive Justice for Border Communities plan that notably seeks to “build a 21st century border economy,” as well as roll back the Trump administration’s increased militarization of the region, including reining in out-of-control border agents, the protection of the rights of people in the borderlands, and an immediate halt to the environmentally and culturally devastating construction of border fencing.
“We need a federal government that’s accountable to our border communities,” Warren’s plan states. “That means an immigration system that keeps families together, preserves our security, grows our economy, honors our Constitution, and reflects our values. That also means an approach to national security that respects the rights of people and our fragile border ecosystems.”
The plan will immediately stop construction of impeached president Donald Trump’s border fencing that Mexico was supposed to pay for, for which he’s raided military funds, waived laws left and right, and blasted through national monument land sacred to American Indian tribes in order to erect (and all with the consent of congressional Republicans). “Long-time residents are seeing their property carved up,” the plan states. “Wall construction puts border communities at risk of severe flooding. The Trump administration has ignored critical federal environmental protections, damaging wildlife refuges.”
“I’ve listened to communities at the border when they say we do not need Trump’s failed wall, and I will immediately stop the construction of Trump’s wall on the border between Mexico and the United States,” Warren’s plan continues, further addressing the administration’s politically motivated actions in order to speed up construction during an election year: “I will also work to repeal the sections of law that allow the federal government to waive federal procurement rules or environmental impact reviews.”
The plan pledges to protect the constitutional rights of border residents, many of whom have no choice but to deal with border agents as a matter of daily life. “Border Patrol operates numerous immigration checkpoints and regularly stops people to check their immigration status, raising concerns about racial profiling and violations of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections,” the plan states. “As president, I will hold immigration enforcement to the same due process and standards as other law enforcement agencies—no more warrantless property searches, no more arbitrary stops, no more violations of basic Constitutional rights. It’s time to rein in CBP, and ensure everyone’s rights are respected.”
While the impeached president’s visits to the border have been marked with anti-immigrant speeches intended to sow fear and hatred among Americans, Warren’s plan states an intention to “make sure everyone has a seat at the table, and that includes border communities and immigrant advocacy groups. In my first 100 days, I will convene a borderlands summit, bringing together federal, state, and local representatives, Tribal Nations, members of the business community, community organizations, and stakeholders to undo the harm of the Trump administration and create more prosperity in the region.”
In a follow-up to her detailed immigration overhaul released last summer, Warren’s Justice for Border Communities plan continues to expand on bringing more fairness to vulnerable families who are seeking asylum at the U.S. border. “As president, I’ll also reverse the Trump administration’s policy giving Border Patrol agents the power to make ‘credible fear’ determinations for asylum-seekers rather than asylum officers. A Warren administration will invest resources in more culturally competent asylum officers and immigration judges and better coordinate a full federal government response to the humanitarian crisis at the border, just like we would with FEMA during a natural disaster.”
Some of Warren’s plan, which is available in full to read here, could in fact reach Congress now: included is a bill to redirect funding from Trump’s useless and expensive border wall to coronavirus response, which is an actual emergency that Trump and his loyalists are wholly unprepared for. “We need to get our priorities straight and focus on keeping the American people safe, rather than funding some useless vanity project,” the plan says. “Let’s be clear: our border communities are not a war zone.”
The Justice for Border Communities plan comes on the heels of a five-city tour of Texas with notable surrogates like former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, as well as the release of a plan reaching out to Latina voters. Castro, along with his mom, civil rights veteran Rosie Castro, were among the more than 100 Latino and Latina leaders who recently announced their support for Warren, including elected officials, undocumented immigrant activists, and local organizers.