Virginia’s 8th congressional district thrives because of its diversity. But this president’s nativism and racist treatment of immigrants and refugees is a national embarrassment, which seeks to rip the very fabric of vibrant communities like ours and turn neighbor against neighbor with policies designed to inflict the maximum amount of cruelty.

Across the country, federal law enforcement officers are being diverted from vital missions that keep Americans safe to enforce Trump’s cruel agenda of mass deportation. We have seen police state tactics and even violence carried out by masked, unidentified agents turned against law-abiding people and, with increasing frequency, U.S. citizens. The Administration has targeted students and academics for detention and deportation simply for voicing their opinions. We’ve seen a near-total assault on legal forms of immigration into the United States by nonwhite people through travel bans, the dismantling of asylum protections, and the intentional breakdown of the citizenship process. 

These are not just attacks on immigrants, they are attacks on American values. I have done all I can to oppose the racism and illegal mayhem of this Administration, with legislation like the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would protect schools, churches, and hospitals from immigration enforcement activities, to joining lawsuits challenging the unconstitutional and illegal acts of Trump and his goons in court, to active involvement in individual cases like that of Dr. Badar Khan Suri, who the administration sought – unsuccessfully, so far – to deport for social media posts. I have also led and joined legislation to rein in ICE, like the ICE Visibility Act and the Dignity for Detained Immigrations Act, visited detention facilities in Virginia to conduct oversight and bear witness to the treatment of detained people in person, and continued to be as vocal as I can about the awful things this Administration is doing.

This is not who we are. I’ve met with community leaders, business leaders, and immigration advocates in Northern Virginia. I’ve met with (and fought for) a mother who was separated from her children and deported for a minor infraction, and spoken with tearful fathers who had their children ripped out of their arms at the border. I believe there are better, smarter ways to address immigration that do not betray our core values as Americans. 

That is why I support a humane approach to immigration that treats people with dignity while advancing our national interest, as opposed to the viciousness and hate we have seen over and over again from this president and his administration. I still believe that America can be a “shining city on a hill” and a beacon of hope to people around the world who will also have contributions to offer that will make our country stronger.