New Poll Shows Donald Trump Was Wrong On Immigration
Discrimination And Assault Of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians Lingers In The Post-Trump Era
The media continues to give air time to one of Donald Trump’s most ardent loyalists, Stephen Miller, even as polls continue to show increasing support for Congress to pass legislation that would create a pathway for millions of undocumented immigrants across the country.
Unfortunately, polls are no remedy for the prevailing violence that Latinos, Asians, and many immigrants continue to experience.
Last week the Miami Herald published a story about a doctor in South Florida being charged with a hate crime after punching a Hispanic man, “calling him a racial slur and vowing to “get rid of every single one of you.”
This past weekend, Jesús Díaz, a 61-year-old undocumented and prediabetic man, was told by a staff member of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s vaccination clinic that the COVID-19 vaccine appointment his son had signed him up for was “exclusive for American citizens and legal residents of this country.” The University has since apologized to Jesús and his family.
And of course, we can’t ignore the increase in violent attacks against Asian Americans that we have seen in the news over the past couple of weeks. USA Today posted a story on documenting the incidents, noting that the “surge in hate incidents against the Asian American community since the start of the pandemic was set aflame last winter when Trump began scapegoating Chinese people.
Over 500,000 people have died in the United States due to COVID-19, and as people continue to argue about wearing masks in the midst of a pandemic — discrimination and violence continue to percolate, while in the backdrop national outlets like NPR (really) and Fox News (unsurprising) continue to give platforms and legitimacy to hate groups and white supremacists.
In 2015 Saturday Night Live tried to satirize Donald Trump and downplayed the threat he represented to our country and democracy. Have we learned nothing since?
National Politics 🏛️
Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is scheduled to receive a confirmation vote this week. If confirmed, Becerra would become the first Latino to head the agency — which currently is leading the fight against COVID-19.
During one of his confirmation hearings, Xavier Becerra shared a deeply personal story about his immigrant mother receiving medical care to treat life-threatening hemorrhaging thanks to her husband’s union healthcare. “We didn’t have much, but we didn’t have to face the threat of unpaid medical bills or even bankruptcy.”
Merrick Garland, whose nomination to serve as the nation’s next Attorney General, also shared how the immigrant experience also formed part of his family’s history. As reported by the Daily Beast:
“This country took us in, and protected us,” Garland said, pausing frequently as he spoke. “I feel an obligation to the country, to pay back, and this is the highest, best use of my own set of skills to pay back” the country.
It is expected that Merrick Garland will soon receive a confirmation vote and become the next head of the Department of Justice — the same agency Jeff Sessions sought to weaponize to carry out his anti-immigrant agenda in the early days of the Trump Administration.
ELSEWHERE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT —
CITIZENSHIP TESTS IS RE-REMIXED: The test, proposed by the Trump Administration, was criticized for lacking transparency and confusing language. The agency tasked with proctoring the civics test immigrants must pass to become U.S. Citizens will revert back to the 2008 version. [Buzzfeed]
WHAT’S IN A STORY: Emails show how Trump’s Department of Homeland Security gave far-right news outlets the immigration status of individuals accused of crimes. [Democract Forward]
YOU GOT MAIL: A letter, prepared by Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), urged the current DHS Secretary to end Title 42, a public health law that enabled Trump’s Administration to shut down the nation’s asylum system. [FORBES]
Enforcement 👥
DEPORTATION AS A DEATH SENTENCE: The father of three, and grandfather of four, had been attempting to return to his home in Mississippi. He was killed in a massacre at the border. [VICE]
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