Civil and Human Rights Coalition Responds to White House Efforts to Criminalize Religion and Immigrants

WASHINGTON—Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to expected White House actions to discriminate against Muslims, refugees, and immigrants:

“Actions to build a wall around us, criminalize a religion, and to strike fear in the heart of immigrants make Trump’s America look more like a police state than the republic we truly are. This administration is governing out of baseless fear and our nation’s immigrants and people of faith are paying a dear price.  

The republic we know is stronger and more dynamic because of its refugees, immigrants, and religious minorities. Patriots will recognize the attacks on Muslims, immigrants, and our voting system as attempts to undermine what has made America the strongest and most dynamic economy in the world: our stable democracy and our ability to integrate the brightest and most diverse immigrants from around the world.

The administration should immediately backtrack on today’s actions, stop the bullying, and pivot toward what we all agree on: a strong infrastructure plan that puts people to work and a bipartisan consensus nominee to the Supreme Court.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org. 

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