WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new week brings new indications that the Trump administration’s haphazard approach to immigration and Congress’ singular focus on enforcement are generating fear and undermining Americans’ security.
Amid evidence that immigrants are hesitant to report crimes for fear of immigration enforcement, reports are multiplying that otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants are an immigration enforcement priority, including recent stories from Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Houston. An attorney in Baltimore has gone so far as to threaten an alleged rape victim with deportation should she testify against his client.
And in Washington, D.C., fake fliers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement itself deemed “dangerous and irresponsible” appeared, suggesting that “residents should report anyone who entered the country illegally.”
“The Trump administration’s off-the-cuff approach to immigration policy is sowing a climate of fear that threatens our security,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “Our safety depends on steady leadership, not chaos and confusion.”
“Instead of a clear, sober focus on the safety of all Americans, the administration is undermining approaches that keep us safe. From attacking cities that stand by the public safety accomplishments of community policing, to accusing the judicial system of choosing ‘political correctness’ over the Constitution, to ‘extreme’ vetting measures that risk alienating people, we are being led by fear, not foresight.
“Instead of bringing a strategic focus to advancing a smart path forward, Congress this week continues an enforcement-only approach.
“For our security, America needs more and deserves better than what the administration and Congress are offering.”