Hi Pamela,
President Trump signed more than a dozen executive orders and actions during his first week in office designed to jump-start mass deportations. The fear and uncertainty that followed has left many wondering what these policy changes mean for immigration system reform. We sat down with the leading experts at Vera to ask: |
Nick: These executive actions reinstate cruel and harmful border policies while destroying pathways to lawful settlement. They enable mass deportations without due process—expanding expedited removal and drastically increasing the detention of immigrants in prison-like conditions. Some of these actions are unlawful and are already facing legal challenges. Everyone, regardless of their immigration status, has a constitutional right to a fair legal process and equal protection under the law. And defending these fundamental rights is central to Vera's fight for justice. |
Shayna: More and more, immigration is being falsely defined as a threat to public safety, while immigrants themselves are being criminalized. These false narratives are weaponized to justify using harsh law enforcement tactics against immigrants, often in racist and discriminatory ways.
The rapidly expanding "arrest-to-deportation pipeline" is designed to funnel people from one legal system to another, compounding the harms and injustices in both. Many categories of criminal legal system contact can trigger immigration consequences for undocumented immigrants, visa holders, and legal permanent residents alike. Charges as minor as jumping a subway turnstile can lead to detention and deportation proceedings.
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Nick: Sadly, anyone can be at risk. While ICE claims to be focused on public safety, the administration's immigration enforcement efforts have been indiscriminate. When authorities arrested nearly 1,200 people in a single day last month, 48 percent were considered "collateral arrests" of people with no history of a violent offense or any offense.
Speaking to ABC News about the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the United States, border czar Tom Homan said the administration will deport "as many as we can."
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Liz: With millions of people facing detention and deportation without a lawyer, Vera is working alongside our partners to expand immigration legal defense programs at the state and local levels while fighting for passage of the Fairness to Freedom Act at the federal level. We also continue to advocate for investments in sensible, evidence-based policies to ensure fairness and dignity for immigrants. |
Thank you, Pamela, for taking the time to learn more about what's at stake in the fight for immigrants' rights. In solidarity,
Vera Institute of Justice |
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