WASHINGTON — Following the president’s record-breaking State of the Union address on Tuesday night, key advocates for due process sharply criticized what they described as the president’s use of “anti-immigrant fearmongering and misleading claims” to justify policies they deem are undermining constitutional rights, according to a Vera Institute of Justice press release.
In a statement released by Vera immediately after the State of the Union address, advocates said, “The world has witnessed a year of attacks on due process, with the militarization of immigration courts and the administration’s violent pursuit of mass deportation, leading to widespread family separation, prolonged detention, wrongful deportations, and numerous deaths.”
They went on to argue that a majority of the country continues to oppose federal immigration operations, stating that “people across the country are increasingly opposed to federal immigration operations, overwhelmingly concerned about threats to democracy, and supportive of people being given their fair day in court.”
These statements follow ongoing negotiations in Congress over Department of Homeland Security funding, which remains a hot topic.
Advocates for due process noted, “Just a few months ago, the Trump administration secured an unprecedented $170 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).”
In response to continued discussions over further DHS funding, leaders of the Fairness to Freedom campaign are calling on members of Congress to “reject any additional funding to DHS and to instead invest in proven solutions, like legal representation, to uphold due process for all,” as the Vera press release states.
According to the Vera release, Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., said the president “used the State of the Union to double down on fear, division, and the erosion of constitutional rights.”
She also emphasized that “due process is not optional in the United States of America. It is a constitutional guarantee.”
Torres described “an alarming escalation in the militarization of our immigration system, families being torn apart, people detained without fair hearings, and communities living in fear,” and added, “That is not public safety, and it is a direct attack on our democracy and the rule of law.”
Torres also said she will continue to fight additional funding that is used for mass deportations and instead support “humane, proven solutions like legal representation” in her effort to ensure due process for every American citizen.
Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, also issued a statement in response to President Trump’s State of the Union address and his braggadocious statements regarding the safety of the country, as referenced in the Vera press release.
Melaku said, “The president bragged about his supposed accomplishments in making the country safer, but American communities know the truth.”
She added, “Our cities, neighborhoods, sacred spaces, and homes have been lawlessly attacked by the federal government.”
Melaku also renounced the practice of detention centers, stating, “Throwing children, families, and parents into detention camps and denying them access to counsel before a judge is deeply harmful and violently unconstitutional.”
Shayna Kessler, director of the Advancing Universal Representation initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice, also issued a statement in the Vera press release denouncing Trump’s rhetoric at the State of the Union.
She said, “The Trump administration has abused its power by turning the legal immigration system into a cruel and lawless trap, broadly denying people due process and funneling them directly into deportation.”
Kessler continued by calling on those in Congress to fight back against what she described as the administration’s unlawful and harmful attack on immigrants, stating, “As leaders of the Fairness to Freedom campaign for universal representation, we urge Congress to reject additional funding for DHS and Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. Our communities need policies that recognize immigrants as neighbors, leaders, and part of the solution,” as stated in the Vera press release.
Congress continued negotiations on DHS funding Wednesday, following President Trump’s State of the Union address the previous night, with reports from Politico claiming that Republicans and Democrats are “growing further apart” in their discussions, with talks of a shutdown looming.
These reports reaffirm that Vera’s press release and calls on Congress to fight back are potentially having a real impact.
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Trump’s SOTU address was taken very positively by the public:
“10-Point Jump in “Right Direction”: According to a CNN/SSRS poll conducted after the address, the percentage of viewers who believed Trump’s policies were moving the U.S. in the right direction rose to 64%, a 10-percentage-point increase from before the speech.”
“Support for Specific Policies: A CBS News/YouGov instant poll found that 77% of viewers supported his plan to cut government waste, 77% backed his immigration and border policies, and 76% approved of the speech overall.”
Keith, I support cutting government waste. Who doesn’t support cutting waste. How well did DOGE do in actual waste cutting efforts?
Immigration is a blade that cuts both ways. Securing the border is easy to support. The actions of ICE, not so much. The gutting of the immigration courts also not so much. Making his friends in the prisons operations industry rich by putting virtually all asylum seekers in jail, also not so much.
The speech was a bonfire pep rally before the Texas-Oklahoma football game. It was what it was.
BTW, when you enter CNN/SSRS poll in Google there is nothing about the poll you cite other than your comment here.