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LATINO LEADERS DENOUNCE DEPORTATION OF GUADALUPE GARCÍA DE RAYOS
Deportation shows the impact of Trump’s Executive Orders on the Latino community


Washington, D.C. – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation's preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, denounces the deportation of an Arizona mother, Guadalupe García de Rayos, who was deported yesterday for having committed a minor offense nine years ago, despite complying with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials’ standards since then. Immigration authorities have not described García de Rayos as a threat to her community or the nation. The deportation of García de Rayos, who has lived in the United States since she was a child, now separates her from her two children, who are U.S. citizens.

Among the many executive orders that Trump has signed since taking office is one stipulating that undocumented immigrants convicted of any criminal offense — and even those who have not been charged but are believed to have committed “acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense” — have now become a priority for deportation.

“If the case of Guadalupe García de Rayos is the standard by which the Trump administration is going to pursue deportations, then it’s clear the president is not standing by his assurance that he would prioritize the deportation of dangerous criminals. Instead, it would mean that the worst of his campaign statements is coming true -- an indiscriminate, inhumane deportation policy that will tear families and communities apart. The Latino community will not be bystanders to this heartless policy. We will resist this deportation policy in the streets, in courtrooms, and in the halls of power across the country,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council For Latin American Advancement.

"The expedited deportation of Guadalupe Garcia Rayos yesterday is a complete miscarriage of justice," said Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair, Co-Chair of NHLA's Immigration Committee, and MALDEF President and General Counsel. "Removing a mother of U.S. citizens based on an arrest by a notoriously racist sheriff for the 'crime' of working to support her family is an assault on enduring national values that support families and justice.”

“The deportation of this innocent mother illustrates the senseless and heartless misery that President Trump's executive actions are set to unleash on immigrant families and communities all across America. These assaults on our values and the very essence of who we are as a nation, need to be resisted vigorously and relentlessly by Americans of good conscience. We have every intention of doing exactly that as long as these policies and directives remain the focus of Mr. Trump's administration," stated Jose Calderon, Co-Chair of NHLA's Immigration Committee and President of the Hispanic Federation.

“What we have seen this week with the detention and immediate deportation of Guadalupe García de Rayos are the exact threats that have been made against the Latinx community come to life. While the administration continues to recommend policies under the guise of making this country safe, they are in fact targeting people who are the backbone of our community. We are deeply concerned about the alarming reports of raids, detentions and deportations targeting mothers, children and families across the country and we will continue to fight so that our families can feel safe in the communities in which they live, work and call home,” said Jessica González-Rojas, Co-Chair of NHLA's Latina Task Force and Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

“Targeting people for deportation like Guadalupe García de Rayos, who has not demonstrated any risk to public safety or national security, only serves to undermine community trust and safety. Doing so drives immigrants further into the shadows, makes women and children more vulnerable to exploitation, and tears apart families and communities,” said Patti Tototzintle, Co-Chair of NHLA's Latina Task Force and CEO of Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network.


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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

NHLA MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Alianza Americas | American GI Forum | ASPIRA Association, Inc. | Avance | Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network | Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute | Cuban American National Council | Farmworker Justice | Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities | Hispanic Federation | Hispanic National Bar Association | Inter-University Program for Latino Research | Labor Council for Latin American Advancement | Latino Justice PRLDEF | League of United Latin American Citizens | MANA, A National Latina Organization | Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund | NALEO Educational Fund | National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives | National Association of Hispanic Publications | National Association of Latino Independent Producers | National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. | National Council of La Raza | National Hispana Leadership Institute | National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators | National Hispanic Council on Aging | National Hispanic Environmental Council | National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts | National Hispanic Media Coalition | National Hispanic Medical Association | National Institute for Latino Policy | National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health | National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. | Presente.org | SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. | Southwest Voter Registration Education Project | United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | United States Hispanic Leadership Institute | United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce | U.S.-Mexico Foundation

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