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Poor People's Campaign Slams Trump Regime's Attacks on Immigrants, Civil Rights and Human Rights [1]
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Date: 2025-06-28
The Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign (Sac PPC) hosted its third and final “Moral Monday” event of Spring 2025 focusing on immigration, deportation, civil rights, and Global Solidarity Against War on Monday, June 23 at Noon at the ICE building at 7th and Capitol Mall in Sacramento.
This event, reflecting the national campaign for Moral Mondays led by the Poor People’s Campaign: “A National Call for Moral Revival,” followed two prior Moral Mondays focusing on the impact of cuts upon the social safety net (June 7) and the impact of anti-environmental policies upon the planet and the climate (June 16).
An array of speakers from diverse local organizations focusing on Immigration, deportation, civil rights, and global solidarity against war and genocide spoke at the event.
The event featured music and a land acknowledgement/blessings by Michael A. Ramirez; a welcome and introductions by Ruth Ibarra, NorCal Resist, and Steven Payan, Sac PPC and Brown Berets; and an opening prayer, Jennie Thomas, shaman with the Miwok Band
Shireen Miles, Volunteer with Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sac ACT); Ahjamu Umi, All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP); Sarah Smith-Silverman, Sacramento Jewish Voice for Sacramento; and Sister Brenda Joyce- Immigration/Deportation, Center on Race, Immigration, and Social Justice then provided powerful testimony
Sarah Alzanoon, Palestinian American League Board; C. T. Weber, Peace and Freedom Party of California; Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Sacramento Immigration Coalition and Alianza; and Jim Hard, Veterans for Peace, also addressed the crowd in front of the ICE building.
Faye Wilson Kennedy, Sac PPC/Sac Area Black Caucus (SABC), and Kevin Carter, Sac PPC, delivered the closing remarks.
Sister Brenda Joyce, Center on Race, Immigration, and Social Justice, talked about the repressive immigration and deportation policies under the Trump regime:
“Today, we raise our voices not against people, but against policies that dehumanize, divide, and destroy. We stand in protest of an immigration system built not on compassion, but on fear. A system where seeking safety is treated like a crime. Asylum seekers, fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution, are locked in cages, denied basic rights, and separated from their children. This is not policy. This is cruelty with a government label.
“Let me be clear: tearing a child from their parent is not enforcement, it’s trauma! Wrongly detaining US citizens because of the melanin in their skin or last name isn’t keeping America safe; it’s racial profiling. And when immigrants, who pay taxes, raise families, and feed this country's economy, are cast out like criminals, it reveals a nation not in control, but in denial.
“The hypocrisy stings: undocumented workers are ‘essential’ when cleaning our hospitals, building our cities, and picking our food, yet they are disposable when it is politically convenient. Which is it, America?
“We are told these policies are about law and order. But laws without justice are just paperwork. We are told it’s about protecting jobs. But the truth? Corporations’ profit from deportable labor, and politicians scapegoat immigrants to distract from failed leadership.
“The current framework governing immigration and deportation in many countries—particularly in the United States—reveals a troubling legacy of exclusion, racial bias, and bureaucratic cruelty. Far from the ideals of freedom and opportunity, current immigration and deportation policies often function as a monitoring mechanism that punishes the very people seeking refuge, stability, and a better life.”
Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Sacramento Immigration Coalition and Alianza, delivered a presentation entitled, “We Must Not Sleepwalk Into Tyranny,” in front of the ICE building in Sacramento:
“Since returning to office, Trump has unleashed a coordinated assault on immigrant communities, employing cruel and extrajudicial tactics that echo the darkest chapters of American history. Masked agents executing warrantless arrests in unmarked vehicles, sanctuary cities targeted for political retaliation, and entire communities living in fear — this is not law enforcement, it is state-sponsored terror. We are witnessing authoritarianism.
“On day one, the administration explored invoking the Insurrection Act to place troops in the streets to round up immigrants by the millions. Now, those troops have been deployed.
“The recent assault on Senator Alex Padilla in Los Angeles — a sitting U.S. senator representing 40 million Americans — is not just a tragedy, it's a warning shot to anyone who tries to hold this administration accountable. He said his assault was ‘not just about immigrant communities or about California…It’s about every American who values their constitutional rights….If this administration is willing to handcuff a U.S. senator, imagine what it is willing to do any American who speaks up.’”
“Trump’s policies aren't just dangerous — they're designed to dismantle checks and balances and intimidate anyone who dares to disagree.”
Sarah Alzanoon, Palestinian American League Board, says the oppression of Palestinians by the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza is the same as the oppression of immigrants and indigenous people by ICE here in the U.S.
Alazaoon, who is Palestinian and Venezuela, said, "The same oppression that murdered Stephon Clark is the same oppression that is committing genocide against Palestinians...It's the same oppression as launching war against Iran.”
These Moral Mondays addressed the Campaign’s interconnected pillars of racism, poverty, militarism, environmental destruction, and the increasingly distorted moral narrative facing our country. The Campaign is a national initiative led by faith leaders, advocates, and community members who have been directly impacted by social and economic injustice, built upon the demands of the 140 million poor and low-income Americans across the country.
“The Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign stands in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors and communities,” according to a press release from the group. “President Trump is taking drastic actions to restrict both lawful and unlawful immigration into the U.S. These policy changes have led to immigration raids across the nation, targeting businesses where undocumented day laborers and field workers are employed. These actions promote anti-immigrant hate crimes and instill fear in immigrant communities as families are torn apart, and communities already struggling with inequities are further devastated.”
“On June 6, when ICE agents came for our neighbors, families, and friends in Los Angeles and across the country — armed as if they were at war — they sent fear through our schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. In response, we stood together as Angelenos, Sacramentans, and Californians always do: by standing up for each other,” the group continued.
“Regardless of our race, religion, immigration status, and whether we're from Sacramento, Stockton, Davis, Folsom, San Diego, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, the Inland Empire, the Central Coast, or the Central Valley, we refuse to be divided,” said Sac PPC.
Background: On May 22, the House Republicans' bill proposed several potential impacts on immigration, civil rights, and human rights.
Key Concerns from the Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign:
This bill addresses a wide range of domestic policy priorities, including taxes, defense, and energy. It proposes significant cuts to Medicaid while increasing funding for immigration enforcement.
Civil Liberties Concerns: The bill poses a threat to civil liberties and human rights, particularly through enhanced funding for the immigration detention and deportation system.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 22):
Overview: This legislation aims to restrict voting rights by requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for individuals to register to vote in federal elections.
Disenfranchisement: It would disenfranchise millions, especially those who lack immediate access to required documents, such as naturalized citizens and married women who have changed their last names.
Expanded Detention Capacity: It provides billions to increase adult and family detention capacity, allowing for the housing of over 100,000 people daily, a significant rise compared to previous funding levels.
Increased Deportations: Funding is designated to boost deportation capacity.
Immigration Processes and Fees:
New and Increased Fees : The bill introduces new and significantly increased fees for various immigration processes, including a minimum $1,000 fee for asylum applications and additional costs for employment authorization, creating financial barriers for those seeking protection.
: The bill introduces new and significantly increased fees for various immigration processes, including a minimum $1,000 fee for asylum applications and additional costs for employment authorization, creating financial barriers for those seeking protection. Restricted Access to Benefits: It broadly restricts access to federal programs and public benefits for various immigrant groups, including refugees, asylees, parolees, and survivors of trafficking and domestic violence.
Civil Rights and Human Rights Concerns:
Due Process Violations : The bill’s emphasis on enforcement and detention raises concerns about potential due process violations and human rights issues.
: The bill’s emphasis on enforcement and detention raises concerns about potential due process violations and human rights issues. Treatment of Migrants: There are concerns regarding the potential for inhumane treatment of migrants due to the bill's focus on detention.
Other Related Concerns
Cuts to Essential Programs : The bill proposes cuts to essential programs like Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and SNAP, which could harm millions, including individuals with disabilities and low-income families. Reports suggest these cuts may disproportionately affect women of color.
: The bill proposes cuts to essential programs like Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and SNAP, which could harm millions, including individuals with disabilities and low-income families. Reports suggest these cuts may disproportionately affect women of color. Immigration Enforcement Costs: The bill allocates approximately $150 billion for immigration enforcement, which could lead to increased detention and deportation of immigrants. It may also create challenges for the migrant population through high fees and barriers to assistance.
The bill allocates approximately $150 billion for immigration enforcement, which could lead to increased detention and deportation of immigrants. It may also create challenges for the migrant population through high fees and barriers to assistance. Restriction of Judicial Authority: The bill could limit the courts' ability to issue injunctions and restraining orders against the government by requiring bond payments before using contempt power, which may be perceived as an attack on the rule of law and the separation of powers. The reconciliation bill now moves to the U.S. Senate.
The Trump administration isn't merely targeting immigrants or California; they're attacking the very concept of democracy itself.
“We will not be silent any longer, and we are not backing down!”
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