FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 22, 2018

CONTACT: Elliot Levy, [email protected], 202-800-7409

New York –Today, in response to the news that President Trump will visit Long Island to continue his anti-immigrant propaganda campaign, the local chapter of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action promised to support the immigrant community, and called on Long Island legislators to publicly oppose the President’s agenda.

Solomon Hoffman, a leader with Bend the Arc: New York said:

“Our Jewish tradition teaches the inherent dignity and value of every human life—and our Jewish history teaches that dehumanization leads to barbarity. We will not be fooled by Trump’s fear-mongering about drugs and gangs. His administration traffics in bigotry by calling immigrants and the countries they come from disparaging names and paints all immigrants with the same broad brush. His campaign of detention, mass deportation, and the separation of children from their families is abhorrent. We call on our local elected officials to join us in standing with our immigrant neighbors against these attacks.”

President Trump is visiting Long Island for a forum about MS-13, a gang whose notoriety he has used to smear all immigrants.

The New York chapter has also joined a coalition of community groups, led by Make the Road NY, for a press conference today and a planned rallytomorrow outside the forum event. For the past year, the chapter has been organizing in solidarity and allyship with Make the Road NY to protect the immigrant community on Long Island.

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action leads the American Jewish community in demanding that Congress take action to protect immigrants and stand up to President Trump’s scapegoating. On January 17th, Bend the Arc Jewish Action organized a historic act of civil disobedience in Washington DC, in which 82 Jewish activists were arrested on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol while demanding a clean Dream Act. Since then, activists from Bend the Arc Jewish Action have organized local “Let My People Stay” actions and protests across the country inspired by this civil disobedience, including in New York, Illinois, California and Massachusetts.