Border Network for Human Rights Condemns Trump’s Immigration Restrictions to Fight Coronavirus

Statement from Fernando Garcia, Executive Director at Border Network for Human Rights:

“Once again, the president is using immigrants as scapegoats for this pandemic and for the ramifications of an economic slowdown. Blaming immigrants during this crisis, makes more evident his failed leadership, and makes it clear that he will always use them to advance his political agenda. Instead of working toward solutions, he presents incoherent and dangerous messages. While on one hand, he declares farmworkers essential workers – many of them undocumented – on the other, he blames them for every problem in the United States.

Even though the Trump administration will very likely include exceptions for farmworkers and healthcare workers, his approach will only cause more fear amongst the essential workers that are providing the services to keep the country fed and the healthcare workers that are healing the sick.

Trump’s statement about his intention to close the country to all immigration clearly shows his embrace of extremism, distorted nationalism, and xenophobia. These ill-conceived agendas are immoral, wrong and dangerous, especially at this time when we need a leader who will pull the country together.”

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The Border Network for Human Rights, founded in 1998, is one of the leading human rights advocacy and immigration reform organizations in the U.S. BNHR has over 7,000 members in West Texas and Southern New Mexico