Yesterday, my Daily Kos colleague @Erin Tulley and I participated in a powerful action led by frontline Latinx organizers with United We Dream urging Congress not to give into Trump’s demands for funding his racist, xenophobic border wall by funding ICE and Customs and Border Protection. The action was written up in The Hill:
Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and a coalition progressive immigrant rights groups collected 200,000 signatures on a petition to reject any funding for detention centers or deportation agents.
The petition was circulated by progressive groups United We Dream, the Center for Popular Democracy, Move On, Casa and Indivisible.
Not only did hundreds of thousands of signatures send a strong message that many Americans condemn Trump’s racist rhetoric, but will have an impact on Congress’s path forward.
Earlier that day, Latinx undocumented youth and other members of frontline communities attended meetings with Congressional offices to deliver more than 250,000 signatures and share their stories, including over 120,000 from the Daily Kos community. Moreover, frontline communities were able to show Members of Congress that Americans stand firmly against Trump’s racist and reckless behavior (that resulted in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history) through “direct action theatre” (this is when activists use performance art to elucidate a particular social issue - in this case, Trump’s affinity towards family detention and immigration human rights violations):
Frontline community members silently led with a 15-foot tall heart with posters of current detainees of color who have been separated from their families.
Next, demonstrators in ICE and CBP shirts dramatically ripped apart the heart and the posters of detainees, symbolizing the emotional trauma families of loved ones of those deported and in detention face.
Following, community supporters (myself included) were led in Spanish and English chants.
Undocumented --
-- Unafraid!
Undocumented --
--¡Sin Miedo!
I cannot emphasize enough how powerful yesterday’s display and the impact of the thousands of signatures are. With the potential threat of yet another government shutdown beginning February 15 if Trump continues to push for his border wall, Trump’s emphasis on racist tropes about immigrant communities during his Tuesday State of the Union Address, and the unfortunate overabundance of white lawmakers appearing in blackface, frontline organizers have put the pressure on Congress to be on the right (left) side of history. As a black woman and daughter of a South African asylum seeker, it was empowering to be present yesterday, and to continue on the path towards justice and equity for immigrant (many of whom are indigenous) communities.
It’s not too late to sign the petition calling on Congress to not give into Trump’s demands - SIGN THE PETITION HERE!