January 8, 2019
Los Angeles, CA – In response to President Trump’s address tonight, Cynthia Buiza, Executive Director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, issued the following statement:
Tonight, President Trump subjected the American people to a barrage of lies, misinformation, and manipulation.
The truth is that immigrants, including undocumented community members, are a vital part of the heart and soul of our communities.
The truth is that people seeking asylum at the border are fleeing horrific violence and hoping for safety and opportunity in the United States.
And the truth is that it is utterly irresponsible to exploit individual tragedies in order to demonize entire communities.
The President has shut down the federal government and endangered the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families because he wants the power to commit even more obscene abuses of power: indefinitely locking up small children and families in immigrant prisons and making a mockery of due process.
The fight to uphold our values of compassion, equal treatment, and common humanity is more urgent now than ever.