PRESS CONTACT:
Elliot Levy
202-800-7409
New York – In response to the Trump Administration’s release of ‘principles’ for immigration legislation, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, released the following statement:
“The Trump administration’s latest demands confirm what we’ve known from the beginning: Rather than get behind common-sense, widely popular measures like a clean DREAM Act to protect immigrant youth, Trump and his allies are determined to implement an oppressive, dangerous, unjustified regime of detentions and deportations. These so-called ‘principles’ are merely an attempt to translate the white nationalist agenda of senior Trump aides like Stephen Miller into concrete policy action. The radical proposals outlined in this framework, including funding for a border wall and attacks on sanctuary cities, are totally unacceptable, and Democratic leaders in Congress are right to forcefully oppose them.
“The American Jewish community, rooted in our own immigrant experience and our values of compassion and welcoming the stranger, remains firmly committed to protecting the dignity and wellbeing of immigrants. Our demands are clear: Congress must pass a clean DREAM Act to ensure that our immigrant youth are protected--without jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of other immigrants--and hold the Administration accountable for employing radical white-nationalist champions like Stephen Miller.”