America Must Remember That We All Belong

Refinery29

6 days ago

The first Trump administration unleashed a relentless assault on immigrant communities. Then came the pandemic, hitting communities of color and immigrant families the hardest. We spent years rebuilding — each moment testing us, threatening the safety of those we serve. But the past few weeks feel different. Just as we began to find our footing five years on, we've been thrust back into a crisis like no other.
At the core of this fight is a fundamental question: Who belongs in America? The policies being enacted right now tell us that we who build and sustain this country do not belong. That immigrants do not belong. That queer people, people of color, children, and women do not belong. That our communities, which have been here for generations, that have built families, businesses, and movements on this soil — are here under sufferance, and that our freedom disrupts the white, patriarchal order of things.
As executive directors and leaders of 10 immigrant rights organizations in New York City — spanning advocacy, social and health services, and critical community programs — we are witnessing a systematic dismantling of the protections and supports that have long been lifelines for our communities. With funding cuts threatening these essential services and increasing threats against our communities, the situation has become dire. Just outside our office doors, ICE agents walk the streets, deterring our community members from seeking the help they desperately need. They are increasingly met with walls — both literal and figurative.
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We refuse to accept policies that strip our communities of their dignity and their rights to freedom and security.
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A new brand of dehumanization is spreading across America, and it is terrifying. A wave of executive orders is directly targeting all members of our beloved communities — not just those who are undocumented or have limited documentation status, but also those who are living in poverty, queer people, people of color, women, and children. Federal policy changes — including executive orders on immigration enforcement, on gender ideology, and those terminating DEI programs — are chipping away at hard-won rights and resources for immigrant communities. Orders like executive Order 14159, which denies public benefits like Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and housing assistance to undocumented individuals, leaving survivors with nowhere to turn for basic necessities.
But, in 2025, we refuse to accept this vision. We refuse to accept policies that strip our communities of their dignity and their rights to freedom and security. We are alarmed not only by what our organizations are facing but by the broader trajectory of our country. Though we write this anonymously, aware of the scrutiny and risks our organizations may face, we believe it is imperative to speak out.
With the stroke of a pen, decades of progress in protecting immigrant communities, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, survivors of gender-based violence, those with diverse abilities, women and children are being swiftly unraveled. ICE raids are sweeping across New York City, targeting those who have fled harm, many of whom are living in temporary housing. Caregivers are afraid to send their children to school because they might be targeted by ICE. Food pantries and community healthcare centers are seeing a sudden drop in participants because people would rather go hungry and risk their health than risk deportation. Because one's immigration status can be weaponized against them, survivors of gender-based violence will go into further hiding, forced to make an impossible choice: endure abuse or face deportation. ​The Laken Riley Act mandates detention for undocumented individuals charged with theft-related crimes, a policy that disproportionately impacts immigrant survivors by providing abusers and landlords with yet another tool to threaten and control them through the fear of ICE involvement and deportation.
As we continue to fight, we feel deeply abandoned by philanthropy and government alike. Many foundations are taking a "wait and see" approach, hesitant to make investments in organizations that work on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Individual donors tell us they appreciate our work but fear being placed on a government watch list if they make a gift. Without solid investments from philanthropy — whether institutional or individual — our work will cease to exist.
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Let us move toward an America that lives up to the promise that all of us belong — not one we've necessarily known, but one we've long fought for.
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Let us move toward an America that lives up to the promise that all of us belong — not one we've necessarily known, but one we've long fought for. An America where policy is no longer wielded as a weapon against its people, but shaped by the values of liberation and justice. The America that acknowledges the trauma our communities have carried for generations and seeks to break cycles of violence instead of reinforcing them.
To get there, we need action. We need sanctuary policies that truly keep people safe. We need funding for organizations like ours, who are doing the frontline work to ensure that communities can thrive.
The exhaustion so many of us feel right now is real but we as leaders cannot afford to retreat into fatigue. We cannot blindly believe that because we survived the first Trump administration, we will survive this one. This time, the policies are more strategic, more ruthless, and more systematically implemented. This time, they are designed to eliminate the very organizations that have fought to protect the fabric of America. And we need all of us to show up — to fight against these policies, to protect one another, and to refuse to be silenced.