In a historic political comeback, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States Monday.
During his inaugural address, Trump outlined specific policies that he vowed to take executive action on immediately, and got right to work signing several executive orders over a wide range of issues.
His policy promises and actions included tariffs, declaring a national emergency at the southern border and sweeping immigration changes. The Boston Herald reported that Boston could see ICE raids as soon as this week.
Some immigrant communities are worried about what the coming weeks may bring. Hundreds rallied in Boston in support of local immigrants and against Trump’s new policies.
Pilar Galvez was among those to protest in Boston.
“I am here to walk with my community, because the migrants work hard for the economy of the United States,” Galvez said. “There are small businesses, big businesses. The migrants are the labor that help America to be better.”
Trump said that he would primarily be targeting those who have committed crimes, doubling down on his plan to enact the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
“All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens to the places from which they came,” Trump said.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey spoke out on the issue just ahead of Monday’s inauguration.
“The targeting of individuals who have lived peacefully here, working here, paying taxes here, raising their families here, is just something that I think is really wrong and ill-advised,” Healey said.
Many of Trump’s executive orders are expected to be challenged in court.
Two local immigrant advocacy organizations, Chelsea’s La Colaborativa and Boston’s Brazilian Worker Center, have already filed a lawsuit along with Lawyers for Civil Rights challenging the constitutionality of the executive order issued by the Trump Administration looking to strip birthright U.S. citizenship from the children of immigrant parents.
The lawsuit says the policy would de-Americanize children and, as a result, deny them rights, legal protections, and the benefits that come with them, like access to critical documents such as passports and Social Security numbers.
“This is a blatant attack on immigrant families who are the backbone of our communities and economy,” said Gladys Vega, executive director of La Colaborativa. “Our members are mothers, fathers, workers, and neighbors who came to this country searching for a safer and better life. Denying citizenship to their U.S.-born children undermines the ideals of fairness and opportunity that define America. We will not stand idly by while our children are targeted and their rights and dignity are erased.”
“Stripping children of their birthright citizenship undermines their dignity, security, and identity,” said Lenita Reason, executive director of the Brazilian Worker Center. “This policy doesn’t just harm individuals – it tears at the fabric of our communities. We stand in solidarity with immigrant families nationwide to defend this fundamental right. All children born in this country deserve an equal opportunity to thrive.”
The ACLU also sued the Trump administration Monday over the same executive order.
“Denying citizenship to U.S.-born children is not only unconstitutional — it’s also a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values. Birthright citizenship is part of what makes the United States the strong and dynamic nation that it is. This order seeks to repeat one of the gravest errors in American history, by creating a permanent subclass of people born in the U.S. who are denied full rights as Americans. We will not let this attack on newborns and future generations of Americans go unchallenged. The Trump administration’s overreach is so egregious that we are confident we will ultimately prevail,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
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