Actress Diane Guerrero Calls for Immigration Justice
Actress Diane Guerrero, best known for her roles in “Jane the Virgin” and “Orange is the New Black,” is taking a public stance today against politicians who are fueling intolerance with hate speech and rhetoric that target and criminalize the immigrant community. Guerrero, whose parents were both deported when she was 14, tells her personal story in a new video today on behalf of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) and United We Dream (UWD).
In the video, Guerrero says, “Whatever our personal reasons — whether we were born here or our parents came here for a shot at the American dream — we need to stand up to reactionary policies aimed at targeting and criminalizing the immigrant community. We can and must do better.”
This is not the first time Guerrero has spoken out about her story and comes as politicians, from members of Congress to the 2016 presidential field, address immigration and the impact that mass incarceration and mass deportation has on immigrant communities. At the end of the video, Guerrero says, “Please join me by telling our members of Congress and our local and state leaders to stand with us by condemning policies that separate families and destroy our communities. We have to work together to ensure that no child ever comes home to an empty house.” Sign a petition here.
“I hope this creates a sense of urgency around our broken immigration system and the need for policies that keep families together,” said Guerrero in a statement about her partnership with the ILRC and UWD. “We have to stop tearing families apart and subjecting immigrants to the kind of fear and oppression that many fled from in their home countries. We have to end policies that encourage racial profiling and mass incarceration. We have to get local law enforcement out of the business of deportation.”
Among the enforcement-centric policies highlighted by Guerrero, the Obama Administration deported more than 300,000 individuals in 2014. Additionally, current law requires 34,000 immigrants per day be detained while in deportation proceedings, including entire families.
The full script of the video is below:
With all the hate speech and the intolerance these days, it’s easy to forget that we are a nation of immigrants.
Whatever our personal reasons — whether we were born here or our parents came here for a shot at the American dream — we need to stand up to reactionary policies aimed at targeting and criminalizing the immigrant community. We can and must do better.
I was 14 when my family was torn apart by deportation. My family was taken because they were undocumented immigrants — just like 11 million other people living and working in America today.
In recent years the Administration has taken steps to protect young immigrants — but it’s not enough — and now some lawmakers are proposing drastic and harsh new laws that would pave the way for more intolerance, more deportation and more family separation. We need your help.
Please join me by telling our members of congress and our local and state leaders to stand with us by condemning policies that separate families and destroy our communities. We have to work together to ensure that no child ever comes home to an empty house. For more information on how you can help visit: www.unitedwedream.org/fight
KJ