President Trump’s first signed legislation exploits anti-immigrant rhetoric to clear the way for mass deportations.
For Immediate Release: January 30, 2025
Contact:
Lasamee Kettavong, media@napawf.org
Aurea Bolaños Perea, media@latinainstitute.org
Kindeya Chiaro, inourownvoice@berlinrosen.com
WASHINGTON D.C. – On Wednesday, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, a sweeping anti-immigrant measure that expands federal detention powers, strips undocumented immigrants of due process, and imposes a rigid, punitive legal framework that leaves no room for redemption or rehabilitation. The law mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants-including children and DACA recipients–while granting the federal government alarming new authority to detain individuals suspected of even minor infractions. It also opens the door for states to sue the federal government if they claim federal immigration policies harm their residents, further entrenching a system that prioritizes punishment over justice.
Intersections of Our Lives (Intersections)–a collaborative of three leading reproductive justice organizations: the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda (In Our Own Voice), and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (Latina Institute)–strongly condemns the Laken Riley Act for its devastating impact on our communities. This law paves the way for blatant human rights violations, including the indefinite detention of undocumented immigrants, even children.
Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), issued the following statement:
“The Laken Riley Act is not about public safety—it is an attack on the fundamental humanity of immigrants. This law, along with other recent executive measures, sends a clear message: in this country, some people are afforded the dignity to live freely, and others are not. Justice is not about creating exceptions—it is about ensuring a baseline where we all have a fair chance to thrive.
Immigrants, particularly undocumented individuals, are being falsely scapegoated as a ‘threat’ and this law holds immigrants to a higher and arbitrary standard of morality than non-immigrants. We need policies that reflect this vision of an inclusive, equitable future, not ones that shut people out.”
Approximately 1.7 million Asian immigrants in the U.S. are undocumented. With this law, their futures—and the futures of millions of others—are even more precarious. Mass deportations will not solve our nation’s challenges. Instead, they will tear families apart, destabilize communities, and place immense strain on our economy and social fabric.”
Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, issued the following statement:
“We condemn the president’s signature of the Laken Riley Act, which is a direct threat to the safety, dignity, and humanity of immigrant communities. This bill creates a pipeline for mass detention and deportation for petty offenses and exploits a tragedy to put noncitizens, including DREAMERS – who are not likely to pose a threat to public safety– at high risk of being deported and separated from their families.
Moreover, the Laken Riley Act robs immigrants of their right to due process and their ability to defend themselves in a court of law and conveniently empowers hostile anti-immigrant states to take the reins on federal immigration policy.
Deporting our immigrant families and friends won’t make our communities safer, but it will treat people as criminals based on nothing more than suspicion or minor offenses.
We refuse to stand by as policies like these terrorize and demonize our communities. We will continue to build power in Latino/x communities across the country, uplift the voices of immigrant families, and fight for salud, dignidad y justicia for all of us.”
Regina Davis Moss, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice, issued the following statement:
“The Laken Riley Act will not make our communities safer. Instead, it strips immigrants of their rights and instills more fear in an already terrifying moment. We know undocumented immigrants were already avoiding health care treatment to prevent the chance of being criminalized by government agencies. This particularly impacts pregnant people who are faced with an impossible choice of seeking critical reproductive health services, like prenatal care and childbirth services, or face the risk of being separated from their communities. If we are to achieve Reproductive Justice, we must address the needs of Black immigrant women, girls and gender-expansive individuals and build an inclusive immigration system that works for all of us.”
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Intersections of Our Lives is a collaboration of In Our Own Voice: National Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda (In Our Own Voice), the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (Latina Institute), three women of color-led national Reproductive Justice organizations with both a federal and statewide presence. For more information about Intersections of Our Lives visit: IntersectionsofOurLives.org.
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