ACLU Launches Campaign To Highlight Asylum Seekers' Stories Amid Trump Deportation Plans

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has started a multimedia campaign in southern border states to share the stories of asylum seekers from Mexico, El Salvador, and Cameroon in an effort to slow down President-elect Donald Trump's proposed mass deportation plan.

Immigrant rights and civil liberties groups are planning protests and legal challenges, which could also pressure Democratic-led states and cities to resist helping the Trump administration with deportations, Axios reported.

Trump has repeatedly blamed the rise in violent crime during the pandemic on immigrants. He and his supporters have stated that mass deportations will focus on immigrants with violent criminal records, a practice already being carried out by the Biden administration.

Earlier this week, the newly formed House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for certain non-violent crimes, such as theft.

Speaking about the campaign, ACLU's director of border strategies Jonathan Blazer said that it aimed to show immigrants as real people, not just stereotypes used by politicians.

He explained that many false claims about immigrants can be disproven by hearing their personal stories and reasons for coming to the United States. Blazer added that immigrants often share how they came not to cause harm, but to contribute positively and give back.

An Axios review had found that immigrants charged with homicides form only 1% of "at-large" arrests conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the past six years.

In addition, the 2020 increase in homicides was mainly caused by men and teenage boys who lost their jobs or schools during pandemic shutdowns, as per data released last month by the Brookings Institution.

It is evident the federal government cannot carry out large-scale deportations of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants without help from state and local law enforcement.

The incoming Trump administration will need massive public backing in Democratic-led states like New Mexico and California and in major cities like Los Angeles and Houston to gain this support.

In an effort to thwart this, the ACLU recently shared details about its "Firewall for Freedom" initiative, which guided cities, states, and district attorneys on reducing cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The plan outlines steps governors and lawmakers can take to protect immigrant communities, such as creating legal aid programs, using pardon powers, and passing new laws.

Last month, a report by Democrats on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee (JEC) also revealed that Trump's proposal for mass deportation could severely harm the U.S. economy by reducing economic growth, shrinking the labor force, and increasing inflation.