President Donald Trump garnered much of the attention of corporate television networks and major newspapers after he unveiled a sweeping immigration proposal Thursday, but it was Rep. Ilhan Omar who presented what one activist described as the “only immigration plan worth hearing about” that day.
Omar told immigrant rights advocates gathered for an “America Welcomes” rally in Washington, D.C., that Trump’s plan—which was reportedly crafted by advisers Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner—would have a “devastating impact on millions of people around the world,” an assessment echoed by rights groups.
“It is critical that we send a strong message that we will not tolerate an immigration system that devalues lives of immigrants or fuels the administration’s hate-filled narrative.”
—Rep. Ilhan Omar
“I’m here today because we live in a country that was founded on the idea of justice, of liberty, and of the pursuit of happiness,” said the Minnesota congresswoman. “But those core beliefs, these ideas, are being threatened by this administration.”
Offering a humane alternative to Trump’s plan, Omar outlined an agenda that would slash funding to the government agencies carrying out the president’s xenophobic policies and open America’s doors to more people fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries.
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