40 percent of the residents of the Massachusetts’ 7th are immigrants. Our immigrant neighbors make immense contributions to the economic, social, and cultural vibrancy of our communities. However, the cruel, inhumane policies being implemented at the federal level mean that our immigrant neighbors continue to live in fear of profiling, deportation, and the separation of families, creating generational trauma in immigrant communities.
Ever since Donald Trump declared his candidacy for President with a racist rant directed at Mexican migrants, he and his Administration have been defined by their intolerance and discrimination against immigrants. From the “Muslim ban” and attacks on protections for young immigrants to the ill-conceived hate wall and the devastating policy that has led thousands of immigrant children to be separated from their parents – the Administration has worked, without pretense, to make our country a more hostile place for immigrants.
We must stop the criminalization of these communities and lead from a place of compassion and dignity. We must abolish ICE. We must end the targeting of DACA recipients, TPS holders, and asylum seekers. We must rebuild a more humane and competent immigration system. And we must remember that the challenges facing immigrant communities go beyond immigration status; we must be committed to making healthcare, education, and public institutions more inclusive and accessible to immigrant communities, to create greater opportunity for all.
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