FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Migliozzi, jmigliozzi@freedomforimmigrants.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freedom for Immigrants executive director Laura Hernández released the following statement in response to the reelection of Donald Trump:
“We are not backing down. Trump may villainize us, but he won’t defeat us. We will fight back against Trump’s fascist government and work to free all of our community members from the grips of the mass incarceration, surveillance, and deportation systems. We’ve experienced Trump’s hateful actions before, but we fully expect his new administration to be even more unhinged, furthering its use of the existing immigration detention and law enforcement apparatus to ramp up racist violence against Black and Brown immigrants.
“It will take collective action, mutual aid, and solidarity among our communities if we are to show our power. Now is the time for allies and all those concerned with the human rights and livelihoods of our loved ones to meaningfully step forward — and for the long haul. A mass mobilization against the forthcoming monstrous actions cannot simply begin and end with Trump’s term, like it did last time. In each of our own lives and communities, we must commit to protect our people while also going on the offense to stamp out the rampant spread of racist misinformation and the bipartisan normalization of the extremist, xenophobic sentiments that helped sweep Trump back to power.
“Our mission remains the same: We’re building a world without prisons or cages of any kind. This is the hard work of confronting white supremacy and the entrenched systems that sustain it. We will continue with our fight for liberation from state violence and from the suppression of our freedom of movement and bodily autonomy. We’ll organize and build power while centering love, community care, and interdependence. This is the way forward.”
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Freedom for Immigrants is an abolitionist organization working to end immigration incarceration by organizing with and following the leadership of currently and formerly incarcerated immigrants. We’re building a future in which all people can move freely and thrive. Learn more at www.freedomforimmigrants.org/.