PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2019
CONTACT: Hamp Price | hamp@tnimmigrant.org
TIRRC condemns declaration of national emergency to build wall
Immigrant rights coalition urges Congress to take swift action to defend democracy
NASHVILLE, TN - In response to the president's announcement that he would declare a national emergency to fund his border wall, Stephanie Teatro, Co-Executive Director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalitionissued the following statement:
"The President's decision to declare a national emergency in response to the manufactured crisis at the southern border is a direct affront to the ideals and process of democracy. This action, with hallmarks of dictatorship, is designed to circumvent the usual channels of negotiation that aim to ensure the best representation and outcome for the American people. In the days to come, we urge Senator Alexander and the rest of the Tennessee congressional delegation to do their job and hold the President accountable to the basic norms of democracy and the will of the American people, who overwhelmingly oppose his vanity wall. We cannot allow the president to circumvent democracy to build a monument to hate.
The real national emergency is the humanitarian crisis the president has created at our southern border. Those fleeing violence, persecution, and dire economic conditions have been denied their right to seek asylum, and instead been tear-gassed, forced to wait in dangerous conditions in refugee camps at our border, detained and separated from their children. Congress must stand up for our democracy, terminate the national emergency, and provide real accountability over Trump's deportation force, at the border and in our communities."
###
TIRRC is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to empower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to develop a unified voice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere in which they are recognized as positive contributors to the state. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has worked to develop immigrant leadership, build the capacity of its immigrant-led member organizations, help immigrant community members understand and engage in the civic process, and educate the public about policies that would better promote integration of new immigrants and facilitate their full participation in US society. In just a few years TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.