Protester jam John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after customs and immigration authorities detained travelers from seven Muslim countries, including US permanent residents, pursuant of Pres. Donald Trump’s executive order. Similar protest took place about a dozen airports across the US. FACEBOOK
NEW YORK CITY—Ethnic communities and grassroots organizations across the nation are in an uproar over immigration orders signed by President Donald Trump within a week from taking office, purportedly “to keep America safe.”
Many find Trump’s immigration policy–which includes halting federal funding for sanctuary cities–inhumane, radical and unconstitutional.
“These orders to build a wall on the U. S.-Mexico border and punish sanctuary cities by cutting their federal funds are simply wrong and potentially dangerous to our public safety,” Margaret Fung, executive director at Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), said in a statement.
AALDEF condemns these executive actions, which “foster a culture of fear and jeopardize the wellbeing of individuals in diverse Asian American communities across the country.” The group is closely monitoring the impact of Trump’s actions on Asian immigrants and is prepared to take legal action to protect their rights.
Worse than predicted
“Trump’s immigration orders are way worse than many had predicted,” said Juan Escalante of America’s Voice, an immigration reform group. “Trump effectively released his blueprint for mass deportation and made clear that he will target many, if not most, of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U. S.”
NYC Human Rights Commissioner Carmelyn Malalis. FRANCIS FAINA
According to Escalante, there are still no updates on whether Trump will continue to allow DREAMers to work, drive and be shielded from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“Trump is keeping his campaign promise to launch a Deportation Force and deport millions of immigrants, which is why he must be stopped,” Escalante said.
“We already know that Donald Trump won’t listen to the American people, but members of Congress, regardless of whether they are Republicans or Democrats, will. They have to,” he added.
In Los Angeles, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ) warned that the new administration’s executive order would force local authorities to violate the Constitution.
Fourth Amendment violation
Federal courts have held that immigration detainer requests violate the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure because they are not based on a finding of probable cause and signed by a judge, it noted. Federal funding cannot be conditioned on requiring states or localities to violate Constitutional rights, the group argued.
President Donald Trump. INQUIRER/Elton Lugay
“The administration’s action is a direct attack on the policies of more than 360 counties and cities that have policies seeking to disentangle local law enforcement from immigration enforcement and encourage vibrant immigrant communities that make our country strong,” AAAJ said in a statement.
“We are deeply troubled by the direction of our country and this administration’s apparent desire to appease anti-immigrant and white supremacists. President Trump lost the popular vote; further, Asian American voters overwhelmingly did not vote for Trump. His election did not give him a mandate on immigration. As we saw this past weekend during the largest one-day protest in this nation’s history, the majority of Americans are with us in welcoming immigrants and refugees and oppose the targeting of Muslims or people based on their national origin and harsh immigration enforcement policies,” the group added.
Like AALDEF and AAAJ, Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City and Eric Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general, vowed to oppose Trump’s immigration orders.
Lacks constitutional authority
“The president lacks the constitutional authority to cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families,” said Schneiderman. Last week, the attorney general’s office issued legal guidance to local governments in the state that laid out their rights to refuse immigration warrants issued by federal agencies.
In New York City, Mayor de Blasio pledged to protect undocumented residents.
“We will not deport law-abiding New Yorkers,” he said during a press conference earlier this week. “We will not tear families apart. We will not leave children without their parents. We will not take breadwinners away from families who have no one else. And we are not going to undermine the hard-won trust that has developed between our police and our communities. NYPD began this day winning the war against crime and terror using the right approach and that approach will continue tomorrow.”
Public safety is at risk across hundreds of American cities with Trump’s immigration policy, the mayor noted. But in N. Y. particularly, it threatens a culture that has endured over almost 400 years.
“We are a city in which people regardless of documentation status know that they can report a crime or, if they are a victim of a crime, can come forward—witness to a crime and come forward and know that information will be used to keep us all safe but it will not be used to deport them—that fundamental compact that goes back in this city decades through Democratic, Republican, and Independent administrations here in New York City. It’s one of the reasons we became the safest big city in America, and we are not going to undermine the progress the NYPD has made over a quarter-century,” De Blasio said.
Always welcoming
“NYC has and always will be a welcoming city for all immigrants,” Carmelyn P. Malalis, chair and commissioner at the NYC Commission on Human Rights, said in a statement emailed to INQUIRER.net.
“In New York City, we value diversity and inclusion and are using every resource at our disposal to ensure that immigrant communities across the city are safe, protected, and free from discrimination,” Malalis added.
“Personally, I just think that America can’t be great again by building itself on top of the broken dreams of its own immigrants,” Oliva Jopia, a public school teacher in N. Y., told INQUIRER.net.
“America’s true greatness lies in the fact that this nation has been built by the pioneering immigrants. This country has been fueled by the dreams of those who come here in hopes of a better life. Take that [away] and America is no longer great—no dreams and no legacy to look back to.”
Widespread fear
Miguel Bongon, a physical therapist who also runs a rehab facility in the Bronx, observed that Trump’s new order is causing widespread fear in the Filipino community.
“Some close friends I spoke to would like to get married with U. S. citizens ASAP in order to legalize their status. But it’s good to know that the new president is trying his best to help these 11 million people who are in limbo due to outdated immigration laws. I am in favor of the protection for hardworking undocumented immigrants, but not those criminals who shamefully abuse the system,” he told INQUIRER.net.
In Jersey City, a nine-member Immigrant Affairs Commission (IAC), has been set up to advise the city government on issues affecting immigrants including civil and human rights, social services, education, and business development.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. INQUIRER/Elton Lugay
“The IAC will be a critical asset for Jersey City in beating back these challenges, and developing policies that protect our residents, particularly the most vulnerable undocumented children and allow all of Jersey City’s residents to live with dignity,” Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro said in a statement announcing the appointment of the first three IAC appointees last week.
