FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2020

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Contact

Spencer Tilger | spencer@justiceinmotion.org | (646) 893-0691

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Justice in Motion Denounces Plan to Temporarily Suspend Permanent Immigration to the United States

 

BROOKLYN, NY — In response to President Trump’s announcement that he will sign an Executive Order temporarily suspending immigration to the United States, Justice in Motion Executive Director Cathleen Caron issued the following statement:

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“The Trump administration is once again attempting to deflect blame for its own failures by doubling down on its anti-immigrant agenda. While the President claims to be protecting U.S. workers, the Executive Order reportedly includes exemptions for temporary work visas that exploit migrant workers and lower labor standards for everyone. 

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“Suspending permanent immigration avenues while recklessly pursuing temporary work visas shows the Trump administration’s contempt for migrant lives, valuing them only for their cheap labor. These visa programs have little-to-no government oversight and enable worker exploitation that ranges from wage theft to unsafe working conditions and human trafficking. The appropriate response to the coronavirus crisis is to expand migrant rights and worker protections, not dismantle them. 

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“The truth is that migrants keep this country safe. One in four U.S. healthcare workers were born in another country, and migrants disproportionately work in the industries the government has deemed essential. Migrants are on the frontlines fighting the coronavirus. Attacking them is an affront to every life we have lost to this terrible disease.”

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Justice in Motion protects migrant rights by ensuring justice across borders. Our unique network of on-the-ground human rights defenders in Mexico and Central America partner with U.S. advocates to make sure that wherever migrants go, their rights will follow.