WASHINGTON, D.C. — While the Trump administration has spent nearly every day of its 100 days attacking immigrant communities, members of the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) have been steadfast in defense of belonging, safety, and stability for all families. The actions taken during these first 100 days have threatened the very fabric of our society and democracy, robbing us of due process, and seeping us closer each day to a constitutional crisis—but NPNA and its coalition of 86 multi-ethnic, multiracial organizations remain committed to defend a democracy where everyone belongs—including immigrants and refugees.

As we near the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, we have witnessed the mass undocumenting of protected people, from the stripping of Parole, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the right to seek asylum, with the expressed purpose to deport, detain, and separate families from their homes. Even those in our community with some type of legal status are not safe from this chaos and lawlessness, as we’ve seen with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Sauceda—a teacher in South Florida, and countless young students. The administration’s cruel targeting of immigrants residing in the United States continues with the enactment of the Noncitizen Registration Requirement and a questionably legal collaboration between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to find and deport tax-paying, contributing members of our communities. 

As we hit the 100 days of chaos and unlawful acts of the administration, NPNA urges Congress to call for oversight and accountability of the administration’s actions to date: the lack of due process to individuals, and the termination of legal status for people who were vetted and entered the country under humanitarian programs. The actions, rhetoric, racial profiling, and detaining of U.S. citizens should alarm all Americans across the political spectrum who care about upholding human rights.

Said Nicole Melaku, NPNA executive director, “We envision a democracy where everyone, regardless of their immigration status, has opportunity, safety, and can participate in a community where they truly belong; where people trust their government to improve their lives; and where we can live without retribution. But, we do not live in that reality. In just short of 100 days, our democracy continues to be chipped away to consolidate power in the hands of the few—at our expense. Immigrants are the “canary in the coal mine” of America. Our protections are being eroded, there is no due process or fairness in our courts, and mandates now demand that families come forward and offer themselves to the deportation dragnet. This is not law or order. Yet, NPNA members fight daily to ensure that families are informed and prepared, that lawyers have the support they need, and that lawmakers hear our cries for justice. One hundred days in, we remain committed and steadfast in our support of immigrants and refugees.” 

Said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, “For generations, America has stood for freedom, liberty, and justice. Today, however, that no longer seems to hold true. Our constitutional rights are under attack, and our access to due process is eroded, while power remains in the hands of the billionaire class. Immigrants may be on the frontlines right now—trying to defend themselves as the federal government attempts to strip away their legal status without recourse, or disappear others for exercising their right to freedom of speech, or force our communities to submit their information to a registry, opening up the possibility of internment camps, in America, again. It’s ugly, but make no mistake, we will continue to fight in the streets, in the courts, and in Congress to protect our rights, our values, and ensure that immigrant families can continue to contribute and thrive in America.”

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The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 86 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 42 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnership for americans.org.