Press Release
Published on February 22, 2018
Washington, D.C.—In response to reports that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has removed “nation of immigrants” from its mission statement, Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer has issued the following statement:
“Our nation is one built by immigrants—removing this language does nothing to change that fact, it only reveals the insidious racism harbored by those in this administration. It is clear from the language and policies put forth by President Trump and his hard-line immigration extremists that they will stop at nothing to demonize and dehumanize immigrants and refugees, who have often fled violence and persecution in search for a better life for themselves and their children. We cannot separate ‘immigrants’ from ‘Americans’—we are intrinsically linked as children, parents, neighbors, and loved ones. By seeking to distinguish between the two, the administration is turning its back on our nation’s proud history and engaging in dangerous revisionism.”
