In the early morning of Wednesday, November 9th, it became official: Donald Trump was elected the next President of the United States. The shocking results speak towards a country divided on issues from immigration to the economy, and in the next few months and over the next four years, much will have to be done to heal these divisions.
These election results come on the heels of a divisive election season filled with veiled threats, distortions of the truth, and a demagogic, false narrative about immigrants, Muslim Americans and Mexican Americans – all while the American electorate was also being transformed by the dramatic growth and influence of Latino, Asian, and immigrant voters, a trend mirrored in New York State. Despite an immigrant electorate that has called out loudly for respect and dignity, the results show deep divides and a need for our nation to reflect and recall its founding values.
The following is a statement from Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition:
“New York’s immigrant communities are frankly terrified in this moment. During his campaign, President-elect Trump vowed to ‘build a wall’, to suspend immigration, to ban Muslims from the country, to create a “deportation force” that would deport all 11 million hardworking undocumented immigrants from the country – nonsensical and misguided ideas that have fueled division, fear and intolerance in New York and across the country. We implore him to take back his hateful words, and act like a true leader who believes in respect and unity.
“We say to President-elect Trump: Immigrant communities are not going anywhere. The success of America’s immigrant communities is the success of America as well. There is still time to repair your ugly campaign record that has thrown immigrant communities – a full 42 million people in the United States, and more than four million in New York - under the bus. We urge you to join us as we combat anti-immigrant hate and educate the greater public about the immense contributions that immigrant communities have made to this nation. If not, we will hold you accountable every step of the way.
“With these results, we will now double down to protect our communities from hatred and anti-immigrant attacks; we will prepare them against any violence, and we work with our local and state elected officials to provide the necessary support to uplift our communities.”
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The New York Immigration Coalition is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for nearly 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees.The NYIC aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all by promoting immigrants’ full civic participation, fostering their leadership, and providing a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York’s diverse immigrant communities.