Here’s a rule of thumb for surviving this pandemic. Ask yourself: What would President Donald Trump do? Then do the opposite.
Listen to public health experts. Wear a mask. Abide by social distancing measures in accordance with federal and local guidelines. Provide necessary protections for undocumented immigrants.
Last week, Trump once again attacked so-called sanctuary cities — localities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities in order to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation — by suggesting he might withhold relief funding from states that continue to disregard his anti-immigration rhetoric. He claimed that “people are being protected that shouldn’t be protected,” essentially stating that undocumented immigrants — roughly 10.5 million people, according to Pew Research — should not be helped during this global pandemic.
Threats like this are not just wrong — they are dangerously wrong. Instead of sacrificing undocumented immigrants, we need to protect them. We can do that if Congress allows them to work legally in this country and then creates a path to citizenship.
The reason for Congress to take such action is simple enough. Offering legal status to those who serve our country during times of crisis, along with proper protections at work, will ensure that the supply chain remains unbroken, that health care remains strong and that all resilience workers — the millions of people who go to work in and after major disasters to drive recovery — on the front lines of the pandemic are celebrated and rewarded.
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