Immigrant Rights Groups Rally Behind Kamala Harris Amid GOP Immigration Attacks

A group of immigrant rights organizations announced Thursday their support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, following claims by Republicans that illegal immigrants were killing Americans and stealing or eating their pets.

FIRM Action, the political branch of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, said they were working to unite new immigrant citizens and other marginalized groups to take action.

During a press call announcing the group's endorsement, FIRM Action Board Chair Angelica Salas, "We're not standing idly by as immigrants continue to be the punching bag of politicians in this election," Spectrum News 1 reported.

"We are responding by mobilizing our families and friends and neighbors and ensuring that they cast their vote at the ballot box and vote for Kamala Harris. Donald Trump is a menace to our lives. And if he gets elected, he will destroy and separate our families with mass deportations."

She further said that Donald Trump planned to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and temporary protected status, block access to asylum, and spread hatred across the country, adding that FIRM Action rejected the former president's harmful policies and criticized his failure to recognize the humanity of immigrants.

FIRM Action supports policies that include immigrants and encourages people to vote for leaders, who endorse pro-immigrant and progressive ideas.

According to Salas, Harris backed immigrant families and a plan to give long-term undocumented immigrants, such as farm workers and essential workers, a path to citizenship.

Executive director of the pro-immigrant advocacy group America's Voice Vanessa Cardenas also slammed Trump and said when he speaks "it tends to be a verb, a noun and a disparaging comment about immigrants."

Cardenas added, "We are alarmed at the level of fear-mongering, and we know Trump and Vance have every intention of implementing their policy ideas and deporting as many immigrants as possible."

In Arizona, immigrants account for 16.2% of the workforce and have contributed $1 billion in tax revenues, according to America's Voice. In Nevada, immigrants are essential to the state's core industries of tourism and hospitality.

Cardenas noted that the "dairy industry would collapse without the work of Latino immigrants" in Wisconsin, as about 80% of dairy workers were immigrants.

Voces de la Frontera Action Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz emphasized that the country needed workers, noting that immigrants played a crucial role in keeping the country functioning.

Neumann-Ortiz mentioned that her group, along with FIRM Action, also aimed to collaborate with Harris to improve the broken immigration system.

Earlier this week, Voto Latino Foundation launched a five million dollar campaign, featuring celebrities like Wilmer Valderrama, Rosario Dawson, America Ferrera, Danny Lux, Jessica Alba, Gina Torres and Xochitl Gomez, to encourage Latinos to vote in the upcoming election.