The White House unveiled its new immigration framework Thursday, a plan officials claim will save 1.8 million DREAMers in exchange for $25 billion dollars for increased border security. But the framework also severely limits legal forms of immigration, like the diversity visa lottery program, and excludes immigrants from sponsoring non-immediate family members — both legal forms of immigration that are primarily utilized by non-white immigrants.
Several DREAMers — people who were brought to the U.S. as children — and immigrants rights advocacy groups reacted to the White House’s proposal almost immediately, calling out the Trump administration for its brazen embrace of a popular white supremacist policy platform.
“Let’s call this proposal for what it is: a white supremacist ransom note. Trump and Stephen Miller killed DACA and created the crisis that immigrant youth are facing. They have taken immigrant youth hostage, pitting us against our own parents, Black immigrants and our communities in exchange for our dignity,” immigrant advocacy group United We Dream said in a statement Thursday.
“So let us be clear: any politician who backs up this ransom note is enabling Trump and Miller’s white supremacist agenda. Members of Congress of conscience must make the moral choice to reject this white supremacist proposal and pass legislation that protects us without harming others. Dream Act now.”
Anyone supporting this ‘proposal’, you might as well wear you white kkk robe out in public #DreamActNow https://t.co/9VWcERNHi9
— Julieta Garibay (@dreamelder) January 25, 2018
Dear Filipino Americans (both Democrats and Republicans, including the ones who voted for Trump):
Speak up. Speak loud. When Trump, Stephen Miller, et al, talk “chain migration, they’re a talking about your tias/tios, lolas/lolos, cousins, etc. They’re talking about our families— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 25, 2018
No. No. No. No. Hell no! You're not gonna do all that to our families and future immigrants on the back of Dreamers. Terrifying Miller wish list. Miller = evil×100.
"White House presents immigration plan with path to citizenship for 1.8 million Dreamers" https://t.co/Bf0lOewLwb
— Erika Andiola – #NoDreamNoDeal (@ErikaAndiola) January 25, 2018
“The white supremacists who operate in the White House without hoods have hijacked the immigration debate in our country, attempting to hold young, undocumented immigrants hostage in exchange for a vile, extremely racist agenda that will drag our country back to the pre-civil rights era,” Kica Matos, Fair Immigration Reform Movement spokesperson, said in a statement responding to the White House’s policy framework.
“The proposed immigration framework is also another attempt by the White House to undermine the delicate, bipartisan work happening in Congress.