Aliento Statement on Presidential Election & Proposition 314 Outcome
For immediate release:
Media Contact: Reyna Gutierrez
reyna@icstrategyaz.com
480.495.3348
PHOENIX, AZ.- Aliento´s Founder and CEO, Reyna Montoya, released the following statement tonight after early Presidential election results showed the passage of Prop. 314: SB 1070 2.0 & Donald J. Trump wins the election:
“Today is a sad day in Arizona and the country. President-elect Trump's message of hate, division, and dehumanization appears to have galvanized enough support to return to the White House. Our hearts and minds are with the millions of children who are scared that their mom, dad, or sibling will be picked up in the middle of the night or don’t come home.
“At Aliento, we are holding the fears and worries of 188,000 US citizen children living in a mixed-immigration family in Arizona. President-elect Donald Trump promised one day to invoke the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798 to conduct the largest deportation of long-term undocumented Arizonans and their families. Sadly, in Arizona, we don’t have to imagine how mass deportations will occur. During the SB 1070 years and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, we saw police officers conducting immigration checkpoints outside of schools and churches. Nurses and doctors were forced to question patients' immigration status. Our hearts and minds are with the 250,000 undocumented Arizonans that built lives, homes, and communities in Arizona for decades.”
“The passage of Prop. 314 will divide Arizona families, and it will pit Arizona neighbors against each other. After the disastrous SB 1070: Show Me Your Papers law, we all believe that Arizona had learned its lessons of targeting Arizonans based on their physical appearance.
The Grand Canyon Institute estimates Prop 314 will cost the state $325 million annually! There’s no designated funding allocated to Prop 314. Therefore, to enforce this policy, Arizona will have to take funds from critical programs to fund the implementation.
“Aliento will continue to advocate for the rights of our undocumented, DACA, & mixed-status families. To all undocumented, DACA, & immigrant families, know that you are not alone. Aliento was created to nurture the human potential regardless of immigration status. In us, you have a place where to belong.”
The following are statements from students, advocates, and members of the community about the passage of Prop. 314 & the election of Donald Trump:
“I feel a pit in my stomach. It saddens me that American voters have sent Donald J. Trump back to the White House after the vile language he used to attack immigrants like me. It’s hard to reconcile the words I hear from voters when they say they want DACA recipients to have a pathway to citizenship. Yet, they vote for a person running on the promise of deporting me to a country I don’t know. I will continue to advocate and organize for the undocumented, DACA, & mixed-status families. I owe it to my mother and father to never give up regardless of how bleak it may look.” - José Patiño, VP of Education and External Affairs.
“I migrated to the USA with my mom and older brother when I was four years old. All I know is Arizona. Now, my existence in this state will be a state crime following the passage of Prop 314, and my livelihood in this country is at risk following President Trump’s promise of conducting mass deportations. I want all young undocumented immigrants to know that they are not alone. We must continue to fight for our place in this country that we have built.” – Angel Palazuelos, an impacted student.
“My parents moved to the U.S. from Mexico in the 90s. Growing up here in Phoenix, Arizona, has always felt like home—it’s all my family has ever known. But now, with the recent passage of Prop 314, just existing here could soon become a crime, and the stability of our lives in this country is hanging by a thread. The renewed talk of mass deportations under the incoming administration has only deepened this fear.
To the undocumented youth and families out there, please know you’re not alone. We are part of this nation’s fabric, and we deserve the right to live in peace in the place we’ve built together.
President-elect Trump now has the responsibility to lead this country with compassion. I urge him to look at the contributions of undocumented individuals and DACA recipients who have fought tirelessly for their place here and to reconsider the policies that threaten to strip so many families of their chance at the American Dream.” – Abril Valenzuela, Mixed-Status.
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ABOUT ALIENTO:
Aliento serves undocumented, DACA, and mixed immigration status families to transform trauma into hope and action. Aliento is youth-led, directly impacted people and allies who are co-creating and building a place where human potential is nurtured and not defined by immigration status. Aliento supports students and families impacted by the inequities of lacking an immigration status through education initiatives, arts & healing programming, leadership development training, policy & advocacy.