Thousands of people sign pledge to stand with immigrants against Trump attacks
Washington DC - More than 5,000 people have signed a pledge to stand with immigrants threatened by Donald Trump's mass detention and deportation agenda.
The solidarity pledge – led by The Action Lab, CASA, Make the Road States, and United We Dream – is gathering signatures in defiance of Trump's assault on immigrant communities.
Over 5,400 people so far have vowed to "put my body on the line in strategic actions" and to "challenge Trump’s anti-immigrant attacks by working to create welcoming and loving communities, speaking up in defense of our neighbors, and supporting families with information and mutual aid."
"Immigrants and allies, from New York to Hawaii, have made it clear that we cannot and will not stand by idly when our communities are under attack," Yaritza Mendez, director of the Power to Win Initiatives of The Action Lab, said in a press release.
"We are ready to resist and reject the Trump administration's terrorization," she added.
Immigrants' rights advocates vow to keep fighting
Since returning to the White House on January 20, Trump and his administration have severely escalated attacks on people without documentation.
On his first day in office, Trump signed executive orders declaring a national emergency at the Southern border, halting all refugee admissions, and ending birthright citizenship. The latter measure is currently blocked amid legal challenges.
Thousands of troops have been deployed to the border as immigration officials ramp up raids in communities around the country. The Department of Homeland Security last month rescinded an order barring immigration raids at churches, hospitals, schools, and other "sensitive" areas.
US authorities have already begun transferring people facing deportation to the notorious Guantánamo Bay military base in Cuba as Trump ordered the preparation of a 30,000-person "migrant facility" there.
Defying these increased abuses, United We Dream Communications Director Anabel Mendoza said, "We will not be silent witnesses to Trump’s crusade against our immigrant neighbors; neighbors who are just as much a part of this country as we are."
"Our movement is growing, from the brave students on Arizona’s campuses defending their classmates, to the mass demonstrations in places like Los Angeles, to the thousands who have shared Know Your Rights resources, allies are making it known that we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with immigrants and fight alongside them to keep each other safe."
Cover photo: ZOË MEYERS / AFP