Protesters denounce Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, plans
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 in Chicago. Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they’re calling a “first salvo” against President-elect Donald Trump’s pledged hard line on immigration.
WASHINGTON >> A standing-room-only crowd packed into a historic African-American church in downtown Washington today for one of dozens of rallies around the country supporting immigrant rights.
People attending included immigrants who lack permission to be in the country and their relatives and supporters. Also present were elected officials, clergy and representatives of labor and women’s groups. A line to enter Metropolitan AME Church stretched nearly a city block, and when a fire marshal declared the building full, dozens marched outside in cold, rainy weather to support the rally.
Participants carried signs with messages including “Resist Trump’s Hate” and “Tu, Yo, Todos Somos America,” which translates to “You, me, we all are America.” Speakers denounced President-elect Donald Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and his pledges to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and to crack down on Muslims entering the country.
“Many more like me feel ashamed of their status, because of the intolerance and hatred toward immigrants and refugees,” said Max Kim, 19, who was brought to the U.S. from South Korea when he was 6 and lacks legal permission to stay in the country. “I stand here because I have nothing to apologize for. I am not ashamed of my status because it is a constant reminder to myself that I have something to fight for.”
The crowd urged Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress not to undo the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, aimed at helping people like Kim who were brought to the country as children.
“It works and I’m living proof of it,” said Martin Batalla Vidal, one of the 750,000 young immigrants covered by the program. Many DACA recipients are college-educated and politically savvy and have been willing to hold sit-ins and risk arrest to push for immigration changes.
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Elected officials in attendance said Trump’s rhetoric and policy proposals are inconsistent with American values.
“We are not going to allow Donald Trump to bury the Statue of Liberty,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat. “We are a nation for all people, regardless of religion, regardless of background, regardless of who you love.”
The protests mark the latest chapter in a movement that has evolved since 2006, when more than a million people took to the streets to protest a Republican-backed immigration bill that would have made it a crime to be in the country illegally. The bill was widely viewed as overly harsh and sparked a backlash that culminated in massive May Day marches across the country.
The crowds this weekend are expected to be nowhere near as big as then, including rallies at a church in Washington and teachers’ union hall in Chicago. In Los Angeles and San Jose, California, groups are holding cultural events to show their support of immigrants and opposition to Trump’s proposals.
In recent years, advocacy groups have started making direct appeals to lawmakers and the president.
After multiple proposals failed in Congress, President Barack Obama in 2012 launched an executive effort to protect some young immigrants from deportation.
The creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, aimed at helping one of the loudest and most sympathetic immigrant groups, was heralded as a good first step by advocates who hoped it would be a prelude toward overhauling immigration laws.
But that didn’t happen, and Republican-led states pushed back against Obama’s plans to expand the program.
Now the focus is on the next administration, and the future of the movement seems as uncertain as Trump’s plans.
As a candidate, Trump promised his supporters stepped-up deportations and a Mexican-funded border wall, but it is unclear which plans the celebrity businessman will act on first, and when. And many immigrants are fearful of the campaign rhetoric but less motivated to protest in the absence of specific actions.
Many participants Saturday said they would keep the pressure on Trump and said they planned to participate in next Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington.
“The threat of deportation is imminent for our communities,” said Cristina Jimenez, executive director of United We Dream and one of the rally’s organizers. “We will keep fighting. We’re not going back into the shadows.”
11 responses to “Protesters denounce Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, plans”
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“People attending included immigrants who lack permission to be in the country…” Translation: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS who have no rights.
Please understand, it is NOT the immigrants. It’s the manner in which they become immigrants. If legal, then great! But, for those that arrive in our country illegally and abuse our system of government to take advantage of our social/economic system then, YES, they deserve the Trumpster’s retaliation and deportation.
We, for the most part are ALL immigrants and all deserve respect, but, needs to be done in the right fashion.
Deport them already! They’re illegals sucking away benefits that were rightfully reserved for LEGAL residents and legitimate US Citizens, not anchor babies dropped off in the US to game the system!
I agree, Dragon, deport them all.
The illegal Dems protesting and these marching radicals are bigots for blaming racism on Trump just because he is strong enough to tell the truth about Mexicans and “the Blacks.”
Libs and takers whine about BLM and slavery when Trump had nothing to do with that. It’s ancient history.
So what if Trump is white and got rich off the labor and sweat of other people (often minorities he refused to pay). Without a team of lawyers what did they expect? Trump would honor his agreements? Suckers.
Sure, this is how slaveholders got rich, but Trump and those white men are Patriots and “makers” who practically built the country all by themselves.
Well actually, they sat in the shade sipping cool drinks, but they still managed to make America Great all by themselves.
Then all those colored “takers” invaded and started marching and making radical demands – like citizenship, and equal rights, voting and getting paid for their work. Well millions didn’t so much invade as allow themselves to be forcibly abducted, but those facts don’t matter.
So what if they labored for 450 years without pay? They had lifetime employment had free shacks to live in even without any education. After so many generations they still want to take and take and take.
No matter what the whiners and losers say, Trump and his followers are not bigots. We are winners because he is a winner and winners can’t be bigots.
6 more days until Trump fully restores American Greatness Again.
Dragon, I’ve been wondering why it took the country so long to get a strong classy leader like Trump?
Then I remembeted when you said that maybe WWII didn’t end the right way. You aren’t afraid to think big, Dragon, just like Trump, and maybe you are on to something here.
Oh well, better late than never.
#MAGA? (Make America German Again?)
Let them get in line behind all of the people that are following the immigration procedures legally. This is no different than people who get in line in front of you at the supermarket.
Wonder how many of them voted for The Donald. We have all the Pacific islanders who are here legally.
Mr. Mililani, you can’t be serious. Surely you know that the Pacific islanders who are here legally are recipients of US government handouts, and it follows assuredly that if they did vote, they would vote Democrat.
Traitors.
“1 of 4 of America’s scientists and engineers were born outside the of the United States.” I don’t think libs still get it. Will someone let them know that the incoming administration is targeting illegal immigrants that has committed crimes.
Exactly! The headline, as usual is deceptive. Trump never said he would deport legal immigrants. Windward_side is absolutely correct.