| Friend,
Trump is continuing to demand $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to address his fully fictional national-security crisis. Border residents don’t want his wall, which is unnecessary, expensive and a symbol of hatred and fear.1
As Trump holds Congress hostage for the second time this year, the Democrats who are leading the budget negotiations are bending to his will. They’re proposing something called a “smart border,” which would mean installing various invasive surveillance technologies along the U.S.-Mexico border. This would violate the civil liberties of travelers, immigrants and people who live in the border area.2
Call the Democrats who are leading the negotiations for border-wall funding and demand that they refuse to fund a wall or provide funding for invasive technologies along the border like facial recognition, algorithmic risk-assessment, DNA collection and drone spying. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: 202-225-4965 Congresswoman Nita Lowey: 202–225–6506 Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard: 202–225–1766 Congresswoman Barbara Lee: 202–225–2661 Congressman Pete Aguilar: 202–225–3201 Congressman Henry Cuellar: 202–225–1640 Congressman David Price: 202–225–1784 The entire point of a border wall, “smart” or otherwise, is to terrorize and criminalize Black and Brown immigrants and their families. Don’t let Trump’s lies trick you: We don’t need a wall. Period.
And we can’t allow the Democrats to negotiate on the backs of immigrants and people of color. Funding for border enforcement is already at a historic high, and the Trump administration's border policies have already resulted in the separation of thousands of immigrant families, the caging of immigrant children, and the deaths of a 7-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy.3
We have only a few days to convince our lawmakers to do the right thing. Please make as many calls as you can today. Here’s what you can say: I’m calling to tell Congressperson ________ to refuse to fund any kind of border wall and to reject funding for invasive surveillance technologies along the U.S.-Mexico border. I do not support a so-called “smart wall.” Thanks for all that you do,
Lucia, Sandy, Dutch and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net
P.S. Please call the following lawmakers and urge them not to cave to Trump’s lies. #NoBanNoWall Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: 202-225-4965 Congresswoman Nita Lowey: 202–225–6506 Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard: 202–225–1766 Congresswoman Barbara Lee: 202–225–2661 Congressman Pete Aguilar: 202–225–3201 Congressman Henry Cuellar: 202–225–1640 Congressman David Price: 202–225–1784
1. “Facts Matter: President Trump’s Border Wall Speech,” Define American: https://act.freepress.net/go/30738?t=5&akid=12195%2E10296224%2E5X5DFB 2. “28 Tech and Human Rights Organizations Call on Congress Not to Fund Invasive Surveillance Technology at the U.S. Border,” Medium, Feb. 5, 2019: https://act.freepress.net/go/30739?t=7&akid=12195%2E10296224%2E5X5DFB 3. “Why the Hell Are We Locking Up Migrant Kids at All?” The Daily Beast, Dec. 27, 2018: https://act.freepress.net/go/30740?t=9&akid=12195%2E10296224%2E5X5DFB |
