The following is a statement by Michelle Tremillo, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, in response to Donald Trump’s immigration speech in Phoenix:
“Every thing Donald Trump said last night was a lie, from his opening line of it being a detailed policy speech to his closing line of winning in November.
“What Trump delivered was red meat for the people who already support his destructive immigration enforcement ideas that scapegoat immigrants for difficult problems facing the country. Even if Trump’s delusional fantasy of deporting every undocumented immigrant and stopping all entries of undocumented people were to come true, our unemployment rate would only get worse because deporting 11 million consumers and small business owners would devastate our economy. Crime rates wouldn’t decrease either, because despite his spending nearly half his speech breathlessly railing against criminal immigrants, it’s been proven by studies that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native born Americans.
“Trump did not say anything new or anything that will be beneficial to the country. And even his bad ideas were devoid of details on how he would implement them.
“Every American who cares about our country should be alarmed at the prospect of this reality TV star becoming the next president. Turning our police into immigration agents and deporting mothers and fathers who are part of our communities would be inhumane and devastating. Taking away the temporary relief President Obama gave young people would be cruel, not just to the young people who have used their temporary status to find better jobs or continue their education, but to the communities they serve.
“Our communities have heard Trump’s hateful, destructive words, will move into action, starting with voting. Next week, we’ll kick off our robust Get Out the Vote program knocking on doors and calling voters to encourage them to vote, not just for president but the whole ballot. We’re ready to fight for our country. Trump just gave our movement more urgency.”
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The Texas Organizing Project (TOP), a membership-based organization, works to build power through community organizing and civic engagement. For more information, visit organizetexas.org.