To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Tell Congress: It's Shameful to Use the Boston Bombing to Attack Immigrants
The atrocities in Boston should be an opportunity to come together, not to try and tear people apart. We encourage you to renounce the shameful practice of tying a violent few to the millions of immigrants who seek nothing but a better life for themselves and their families in this country.
Efforts to tie historic, economic, and family-based migration flows to national security have already born too high a cost. It's a major reason why over a thousand immigrants are deported every day, tens of thousands are imprisoned, and there is little to no accountability if immigrants are raped in detention centers or killed by the Border Patrol.
If anything, there needs to be a moratorium on more funding for immigration enforcement until the Department of Homeland Security can show that it treats immigrants with the respect and dignity they deserve.
Efforts to tie historic, economic, and family-based migration flows to national security have already born too high a cost. It's a major reason why over a thousand immigrants are deported every day, tens of thousands are imprisoned, and there is little to no accountability if immigrants are raped in detention centers or killed by the Border Patrol.
If anything, there needs to be a moratorium on more funding for immigration enforcement until the Department of Homeland Security can show that it treats immigrants with the respect and dignity they deserve.
Why is this important?
If things had gone as planned last week, I would’ve been at the Boston Marathon finish line, right where the bombs went off. I’m thankful I wasn’t there but it’s impossible not to see myself in the hundreds who were. I’ve been praying for them every chance that I get.
The Boston area has been my home for almost a decade. I still haven’t been able to put my feelings about what happened last week into words. One thing I know is that moments like these should bring us together. It makes me sad and angry to know there are people who are using this tragedy to try and tear us apart.
Less than 24 hours after the bombing, before the blood of victims had been washed off of Boylston Street, Rep. Steve King was already using the tragedy to scapegoat millions of immigrants and argue against immigration reform. A day later, Rep. Louie Gohmert was sounding the alarm about Al Qaeda operatives being trained to “act Hispanic.” I was hoping that this sort of talk wouldn’t go beyond extremists like Rep. King and Rep. Gohmert, but this week it has been echoed by others like Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, who were previously arguing in favor of immigration reform.
It pains me that after everything our city went through last week, I have to write to you about bigots who want to tie this atrocity to anyone who has ever been or looked like a non-white immigrant, but I know that if we don’t speak now, this could get out of control.
There are real consequences for this sort of rhetoric. Connecting millions of immigrants who seek nothing but a better life for themselves and their families to the tiny few who carry out heinous violent acts has led to untold suffering. It a major reason why over a thousand people are deported every day, why tens of thousands of immigrants are detained every day, and why the Border Patrol can kill without consequence.
Boston has suffered enough over the last week. Immigrant communities have suffered enough over the last few decades. It’s time to come together, not tear each other apart.
Please join me in telling your Congressmembers that the Boston Bombing should not be used as an excuse to crack down on immigrants.
The Boston area has been my home for almost a decade. I still haven’t been able to put my feelings about what happened last week into words. One thing I know is that moments like these should bring us together. It makes me sad and angry to know there are people who are using this tragedy to try and tear us apart.
Less than 24 hours after the bombing, before the blood of victims had been washed off of Boylston Street, Rep. Steve King was already using the tragedy to scapegoat millions of immigrants and argue against immigration reform. A day later, Rep. Louie Gohmert was sounding the alarm about Al Qaeda operatives being trained to “act Hispanic.” I was hoping that this sort of talk wouldn’t go beyond extremists like Rep. King and Rep. Gohmert, but this week it has been echoed by others like Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, who were previously arguing in favor of immigration reform.
It pains me that after everything our city went through last week, I have to write to you about bigots who want to tie this atrocity to anyone who has ever been or looked like a non-white immigrant, but I know that if we don’t speak now, this could get out of control.
There are real consequences for this sort of rhetoric. Connecting millions of immigrants who seek nothing but a better life for themselves and their families to the tiny few who carry out heinous violent acts has led to untold suffering. It a major reason why over a thousand people are deported every day, why tens of thousands of immigrants are detained every day, and why the Border Patrol can kill without consequence.
Boston has suffered enough over the last week. Immigrant communities have suffered enough over the last few decades. It’s time to come together, not tear each other apart.
Please join me in telling your Congressmembers that the Boston Bombing should not be used as an excuse to crack down on immigrants.