April Thomas, 206.321.3850, april.thomas@sierraclub.org
Trump Administration Expected to Exclude Legal Immigrants from Citizenship
Washington, D.C. -- Today, NBC News reported that the Trump Administration is pursuing plans to make it more difficult for immigrants who have followed legal immigration processes to obtain citizenship or a green card. The new policy is reported to exclude from access to citizenship those people who have participated in social programs including the Affordable Care Act or received food assistance programs like SNAP, even if they have followed all existing legal guidance toward pursuing citizenship status.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune issued the following statement:
"It should be clear by now that the Trump Administration's xenophobic policies and attacks on those seeking a better life in this country are by no means limited to those people he and his cabinet have already unjustly targeted. The same people responsible for tearing families apart and endangering borderlands communities are now threatening the longstanding process whereby people become citizens of this country. And Trump is not only targeting people on the basis of their immigrant status, but also on the basis of their poverty. Anyone who ever took part in sensible social programs like the Affordable Care Act could now be excluded from citizenship, in an ugly attack on workers and low-income families.
“The Sierra Club fights to protect the natural and human environment, and that is why we rise together in solidarity with all those threatened by the Trump administration, and why we will continue to make our voices heard. Protecting our communities and our environment go hand-in-hand, and everyone who values a just and free United States should continue to resist hateful actions like this one."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.