Day Laborer Network Response to Trump’s Sunday Evening Threats Against Sanctuary Locations

LOS ANGELES, June 16 –  After suffering humiliation on Saturday with the failure of his dull, dreary military-birthday parade overtaken by millions of peaceful demonstrators in every state deploring and denouncing him as an aspiring fascist tyrant, President Trump lashed out on Sunday in the only way he knows how: He attacked immigrants and threatened to ramp up efforts to brutalize them in cities run by Democrats. His ranting falsehoods on social media against sanctuary cities were frantic and deranged, even by his own low standards:

“… we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside. These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens. … I want ICE, Border Patrol, and our Great and Patriotic Law Enforcement Officers, to FOCUS on our crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities, and those places where Sanctuary Cities play such a big role.”

The following is a statement from Chris Newman, Legal Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON):

“Trump’s most recent threats against sanctuary jurisdictions are a sign of his weakness in the face of popular resistance against his administration.  This weekend, in record numbers, the American public took to the streets to peacefully defend their communities.  It is now time for local lawmakers to take urgent action to protect immigrants’ rights, public safety, and shared constitutional values by fortifying and expanding sanctuary laws.

During his first term, Trump overwhelmingly lost his declared war on sanctuary polices, as federal courts repeatedly upheld local policies designed to stop the criminalization and expulsion of immigrants.  Sanctuary laws protected millions of immigrants by preventing routine interactions with local police from serving Trump’s mass deportation agenda.  As a consequence of these policies, Trump failed to deport as many people during his first term as President Obama did. 

Now the court of public opinion is turning against Trump’s deportation policies too.  Ever since his failed effort to rendition Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a black site in El Salvador, his poll numbers on immigration have fallen precipitously, with Americans rebelling against due process violations that threaten everyone’s rights.  And with the business community now rebelling against his destructive raids, there are signs his own administration is now divided.

It is time for Democratic lawmakers to stop ruminating over the politics of immigration and get to work. With limited exception, federal leadership—from both parties—has failed.  Local lawmakers must fill the vacuum by exerting maximal authority to defend their communities from the dangers posed by the Trump Administration. 

Trump is trying to spread fear and violence as a pretext and mechanism for authoritarianism, but the tide is turning. In the face of fear, courage must prevail.   Immigrants have shown courage. Demonstrators have shown courage. And now Democratic lawmakers must do the same by taking concrete steps to defend their communities.”

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