FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

CONTACT: Danielle Moodie-Mills, [email protected], 202-445-5210

PHOENIX — Marisa Franco, Director of Mijente, the national digital and grassroots hub for Latinx and Chicanx organizing, released the following statement about President Trump’s primetime address this evening about immigration and the border wall.

“Donald Trump is exploiting his power to hold America captive to his lies with a presidential address this evening– taking space in primetime to spew racist and xenophobic sentiments and policies that disparage Latinx Americans and asylum seekers.

The perceived crisis at the border was created by the Trump administration’s criminalization of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers through its obstruction of the US asylum application system. In fact, total border apprehensions have been on a 20-year downward trend, including the recent caravan of asylum seekers who are being tear gassed instead of processed through the legal channels that are supposed to be available to them.

Facing another crisis of his own making by shutting down the government in an effort to satisfy an extreme faction of the US electorate, President Trump is doubling down on his racist campaign promise and putting all Americans and the health of our economy at risk.”

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Mijente is a political, digital, and grassroots hub for Latinx and Chicanx organizing and movement building. Launched in 2015, Mijente seeks to strengthen and increase the participation of Latina/o people in the broader movements for racial, economic, climate and gender justice. @conmijente