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Pablo Villavicencio, an undocumented immigrant who has worked as a pizza delivery man in Brooklyn, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, June 1, the same day immigrant rights advocates gathered in New York to protest the Trump administration's cruel immigration policies. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
'Don't Party... Return the Children!': While Federal Agents Get White House Salute, Critics Denounce Trump's Xenophobia and Cruelty
Immigrant rights advocates noted that ICE and CBP are responsible for "carrying out Trump's brutal family separation policy" and "countless other abuses"
Aug 20, 2018
As President Donald Trump hosted a made-for-television pageant to celebrate federal immigration agencies on Monday afternoon, critics of the president rebuked the administration's xenophobic agenda and "zero tolerance" border policies under which hundreds of children remain forcibly separated from their parents and detained by the U.S. government.
Instead of using valuable time and resources to "salute" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) demanded the administration immediately comply with a federal court order that had mandated the reunification of all families by July 26:
\u201cTrump today celebrating family separation policy w/ Homeland, Border Patrol, ICE officials at White House party, despite MORE THAN 560 CHILDREN STILL NOT REUNITED W/ PARENTS. Don\u2019t party; return the children! #twill\n\nTrump to celebrate ICE \u2018heroes\u2019 https://t.co/CeJH2kjDmf\u201d— Luis V. Guti\u00e9rrez (@Luis V. Guti\u00e9rrez) 1534792300
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has spearheaded several lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's immigration policies, tweeted that the White House event that honored officials from the agencies on Monday "overlooks" their "countless" abuses of immigrants, and called on Congress to hold accountable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and CBP.
\u201cToday's event honoring @CBP and @ICEgov overlooks:\n\u2022 Killing a 16 year old by forcing him to drink an entire bottle of liquid meth\n\u2022 Shooting another 16 yo in the back across the US-Mexico border\n\u2022 Carrying out Trump's brutal family separation policy\n\u2022 Countless other abuses\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1534789239
\u201cCongress is debating DHS funding now and we demand that our elected leaders put this department in check.\n\nOur tax dollars shouldn't be used to fund the abuse of immigrants. Period. https://t.co/szaa20PfMN\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1534789239
The National Immigration Law Center noted that ICE arrests have soared under Trump, and tweeted a message directed at those at risk of being targeted by the agency:
\u201cICE arrests went up 30% in Trump\u2019s first year in office. If you\u2019re arrested, remember: #WeHaveRights. Be prepared for ICE & make an emergency plan: https://t.co/ZH78VfzwVK #DefundHate\u201d— National Immigration Law Center (@National Immigration Law Center) 1534794128
United We Dream, the nation's largest youth-led immigrant rights group, outlined the agencies' records in a lengthy series of tweets, pointing to reports of sexual abuse; agents dumping water containers left for those crossing the border illegally; physical abuse and torture of unaccompanied children; agents shooting undocumented immigrants; inhumane and deadly detention conditions; forced separation of families; detaining an undocumented child for seeking medical care, as well as a father for driving his pregnant wife to the hospital; and the government lying about an immigrant's gang ties to try to revoke his protected status and deport him.
Rodrigo Huertas, United We Dream's digital communications manager, pointed to the cruel conditions under which the Trump administration has detained unaccompanied children and those separated from their parents--including housing them in cages, administering psychotropic drugs without parental consent, and strapping them to chairs with bags over their heads.
Huertas concluded with a call that's become increasingly popular among immigrant rights advocates and progressive politicians: to abolish ICE. Meanwhile, ahead of the ceremony on Monday, the White House released a letter in which Trump falsely claimed that the Abolish ICE movement aims to "abolish our borders entirely."
Trump's letter urged state and local leaders join the president in "publicly expressing...support for the men and women of ICE and CBP" through "letters, public statements, op-eds, resolutions, and events," and called on state and local jurisdictions to coordinate with both agencies, a clear jab at sanctuary cities.
In his letter as well as his statements at the ceremony, Trump turned to his common dog whistle of MS-13. Splinter recently produced a video detailing the gang's history--including its founding in the U.S.--and debunking the president's oft-repeated inaccurate claims about the group:
\u201cTrump wants the public to think MS-13 is a huge threat. So is it? \n\nSpoiler alert: Nope\u2014and the administration's singular focus on the gang will probably only make things worse.\u201d— Splinter (@Splinter) 1534108980
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As President Donald Trump hosted a made-for-television pageant to celebrate federal immigration agencies on Monday afternoon, critics of the president rebuked the administration's xenophobic agenda and "zero tolerance" border policies under which hundreds of children remain forcibly separated from their parents and detained by the U.S. government.
Instead of using valuable time and resources to "salute" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) demanded the administration immediately comply with a federal court order that had mandated the reunification of all families by July 26:
\u201cTrump today celebrating family separation policy w/ Homeland, Border Patrol, ICE officials at White House party, despite MORE THAN 560 CHILDREN STILL NOT REUNITED W/ PARENTS. Don\u2019t party; return the children! #twill\n\nTrump to celebrate ICE \u2018heroes\u2019 https://t.co/CeJH2kjDmf\u201d— Luis V. Guti\u00e9rrez (@Luis V. Guti\u00e9rrez) 1534792300
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has spearheaded several lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's immigration policies, tweeted that the White House event that honored officials from the agencies on Monday "overlooks" their "countless" abuses of immigrants, and called on Congress to hold accountable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and CBP.
\u201cToday's event honoring @CBP and @ICEgov overlooks:\n\u2022 Killing a 16 year old by forcing him to drink an entire bottle of liquid meth\n\u2022 Shooting another 16 yo in the back across the US-Mexico border\n\u2022 Carrying out Trump's brutal family separation policy\n\u2022 Countless other abuses\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1534789239
\u201cCongress is debating DHS funding now and we demand that our elected leaders put this department in check.\n\nOur tax dollars shouldn't be used to fund the abuse of immigrants. Period. https://t.co/szaa20PfMN\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1534789239
The National Immigration Law Center noted that ICE arrests have soared under Trump, and tweeted a message directed at those at risk of being targeted by the agency:
\u201cICE arrests went up 30% in Trump\u2019s first year in office. If you\u2019re arrested, remember: #WeHaveRights. Be prepared for ICE & make an emergency plan: https://t.co/ZH78VfzwVK #DefundHate\u201d— National Immigration Law Center (@National Immigration Law Center) 1534794128
United We Dream, the nation's largest youth-led immigrant rights group, outlined the agencies' records in a lengthy series of tweets, pointing to reports of sexual abuse; agents dumping water containers left for those crossing the border illegally; physical abuse and torture of unaccompanied children; agents shooting undocumented immigrants; inhumane and deadly detention conditions; forced separation of families; detaining an undocumented child for seeking medical care, as well as a father for driving his pregnant wife to the hospital; and the government lying about an immigrant's gang ties to try to revoke his protected status and deport him.
Rodrigo Huertas, United We Dream's digital communications manager, pointed to the cruel conditions under which the Trump administration has detained unaccompanied children and those separated from their parents--including housing them in cages, administering psychotropic drugs without parental consent, and strapping them to chairs with bags over their heads.
Huertas concluded with a call that's become increasingly popular among immigrant rights advocates and progressive politicians: to abolish ICE. Meanwhile, ahead of the ceremony on Monday, the White House released a letter in which Trump falsely claimed that the Abolish ICE movement aims to "abolish our borders entirely."
Trump's letter urged state and local leaders join the president in "publicly expressing...support for the men and women of ICE and CBP" through "letters, public statements, op-eds, resolutions, and events," and called on state and local jurisdictions to coordinate with both agencies, a clear jab at sanctuary cities.
In his letter as well as his statements at the ceremony, Trump turned to his common dog whistle of MS-13. Splinter recently produced a video detailing the gang's history--including its founding in the U.S.--and debunking the president's oft-repeated inaccurate claims about the group:
\u201cTrump wants the public to think MS-13 is a huge threat. So is it? \n\nSpoiler alert: Nope\u2014and the administration's singular focus on the gang will probably only make things worse.\u201d— Splinter (@Splinter) 1534108980
As President Donald Trump hosted a made-for-television pageant to celebrate federal immigration agencies on Monday afternoon, critics of the president rebuked the administration's xenophobic agenda and "zero tolerance" border policies under which hundreds of children remain forcibly separated from their parents and detained by the U.S. government.
Instead of using valuable time and resources to "salute" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) demanded the administration immediately comply with a federal court order that had mandated the reunification of all families by July 26:
\u201cTrump today celebrating family separation policy w/ Homeland, Border Patrol, ICE officials at White House party, despite MORE THAN 560 CHILDREN STILL NOT REUNITED W/ PARENTS. Don\u2019t party; return the children! #twill\n\nTrump to celebrate ICE \u2018heroes\u2019 https://t.co/CeJH2kjDmf\u201d— Luis V. Guti\u00e9rrez (@Luis V. Guti\u00e9rrez) 1534792300
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has spearheaded several lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's immigration policies, tweeted that the White House event that honored officials from the agencies on Monday "overlooks" their "countless" abuses of immigrants, and called on Congress to hold accountable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and CBP.
\u201cToday's event honoring @CBP and @ICEgov overlooks:\n\u2022 Killing a 16 year old by forcing him to drink an entire bottle of liquid meth\n\u2022 Shooting another 16 yo in the back across the US-Mexico border\n\u2022 Carrying out Trump's brutal family separation policy\n\u2022 Countless other abuses\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1534789239
\u201cCongress is debating DHS funding now and we demand that our elected leaders put this department in check.\n\nOur tax dollars shouldn't be used to fund the abuse of immigrants. Period. https://t.co/szaa20PfMN\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1534789239
The National Immigration Law Center noted that ICE arrests have soared under Trump, and tweeted a message directed at those at risk of being targeted by the agency:
\u201cICE arrests went up 30% in Trump\u2019s first year in office. If you\u2019re arrested, remember: #WeHaveRights. Be prepared for ICE & make an emergency plan: https://t.co/ZH78VfzwVK #DefundHate\u201d— National Immigration Law Center (@National Immigration Law Center) 1534794128
United We Dream, the nation's largest youth-led immigrant rights group, outlined the agencies' records in a lengthy series of tweets, pointing to reports of sexual abuse; agents dumping water containers left for those crossing the border illegally; physical abuse and torture of unaccompanied children; agents shooting undocumented immigrants; inhumane and deadly detention conditions; forced separation of families; detaining an undocumented child for seeking medical care, as well as a father for driving his pregnant wife to the hospital; and the government lying about an immigrant's gang ties to try to revoke his protected status and deport him.
Rodrigo Huertas, United We Dream's digital communications manager, pointed to the cruel conditions under which the Trump administration has detained unaccompanied children and those separated from their parents--including housing them in cages, administering psychotropic drugs without parental consent, and strapping them to chairs with bags over their heads.
Huertas concluded with a call that's become increasingly popular among immigrant rights advocates and progressive politicians: to abolish ICE. Meanwhile, ahead of the ceremony on Monday, the White House released a letter in which Trump falsely claimed that the Abolish ICE movement aims to "abolish our borders entirely."
Trump's letter urged state and local leaders join the president in "publicly expressing...support for the men and women of ICE and CBP" through "letters, public statements, op-eds, resolutions, and events," and called on state and local jurisdictions to coordinate with both agencies, a clear jab at sanctuary cities.
In his letter as well as his statements at the ceremony, Trump turned to his common dog whistle of MS-13. Splinter recently produced a video detailing the gang's history--including its founding in the U.S.--and debunking the president's oft-repeated inaccurate claims about the group:
\u201cTrump wants the public to think MS-13 is a huge threat. So is it? \n\nSpoiler alert: Nope\u2014and the administration's singular focus on the gang will probably only make things worse.\u201d— Splinter (@Splinter) 1534108980
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