The following is a statement from Farhana Khera regarding the Trump administration’s reported plan to close the southern border to Central Americans seeking asylum:

If enacted, this Latino Ban, like the Muslim Ban before it, will go against our nation’s most foundational values and beliefs.  The federal government should not close the door on migrants fleeing violence and oppression. Rather it is our duty, as a nation, to welcome them and allow them their legal right to apply for asylum.

The proposed Latino Ban, if enacted, would realize one of our fears, as a result of the wrongheaded decision by the Supreme Court in June to uphold Trump’s Muslim Ban. The Supreme Court gave a green light for the President of the United States to enact even more bigoted policies. Our fear is that this proposal is just the first of many racially charged policies.

Finally, let’s not lose sight of why Trump is suddenly turning attention to Central American refugees: he is making a deliberate, desperate effort to stoke anti-immigrant fear on the eve of an election. It was a winning strategy for him in 2016, and he’s counting on the politics of fear to influence the results once again. However, as our Running on Hate report outlines, Trump is the anomaly – bigotry is not a winning strategy for the American public, across party lines.

Our strength is derived from unity, not sown from division.