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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

Contact: Carlos Vogel

Immigrant Rights Advocates Including New Orleans Fasters, Delivered Petition to RNC Headquarters Calling for Hatred and Bigotry to End

RNC’s Unwillingness to Condemn Hateful Speech is Unacceptable

(WASHINGTON) —More than 100 immigrant rights advocates, including several people who fasted last week in New Orleans, Casa in Action, Fair Immigration Reform Movement, Reform Immigration FOR America, Presente, and Center for Popular Democracy Action protested in front of the Republican National Committee today and delivered over 33,000 petition signatures calling on Chairman Reince Priebus to take a strong and public stance against bigotry by denouncing any presidential candidate who targets immigrant communities for racist attacks as a way to appeal to voters, and by denying funding for their campaigns.

The petition delivery comes on the heels of constant hateful anti-immigrant rants spouted by presidential candidates and other Republican leaders since the 2016 campaign started. The racist hate speech is only encouraging hatred and violence toward the immigrant community.

“I blame the anti-immigrant, anti-Latino, and anti-working families hateful rhetoric by Donald Trump, other presidential candidates, and some Republican leaders for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals inaction on administrative relief which is tearing apart thousands of our families every day,” said Miguel Claros, Fast to Keep Families Together participant, DAPA eligible and a leader with CASA in Action. “The Republican Party should quit treating our communities as a political punching bag. We are good hard-working people who contribute to this economy and not the criminals that Donald Trump and other Republicans make us out to be.”

The anti-immigrant rhetoric from some of the Republican presidential candidates since the campaign started is unacceptable, inhumane, and is moving our country down a dangerous path,” stated Sulma Arias, FIRM’s spokesperson. “Presidential candidates should be promoting inclusion instead of fostering racist and xenophobic fears toward Latinos, Asian Americans, and immigrants. On the eve of another GOP debate, we demand Republican presidential candidates stop their bigotry and attacks toward our communities.”

“The Chairman of the Republican National Committee has a moral obligation to denounce this hateful and racist pandering,” stated Gustavo Torres, Casa in Action Executive Director. “Our movement and our communities will push back and resist the hateful rhetoric agenda wherever it appears, whether it is in the courts, or on the stage of a presidential debate. We will not allow immigrant families to be separated and targeted for hate and abuse.”

“People from all walks of life in communities across America are tired of the way they continue to treat us and call on the RNC and GOP presidential candidates to finally stop all hateful attacks on immigrant and working families, those struggling to make ends meet and people of color. With every election, pro-immigrant voters’ political muscles grow. We will not forget what is being said about us,” added Torres.

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