FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2019
CONTACT
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Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149
Hayley Burgess, 202-805-0375
Trump Is Obsessed with Vanity Wall and Willing to Hurt Millions of People to Get It
WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown drags into its third week, President Trump gave a speech on prime-time network television Tuesday evening in a desperate attempt to secure funding for his border wall project.
Marielena Hincapié, executive director at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:
“President Trump’s prime-time tirade today once again highlights his preference for showy displays over substantive policy solutions and reveals an alarming commitment to perpetuating lies and fearmongering in order to secure funding for his border wall vanity project. While Trump angrily spouts lies about a false crisis that his administration manufactured at the border, he is recklessly disregarding the very real impact of his actions on the lives and livelihoods of not only border communities, but all who call this country home. For the past several weeks, he has stubbornly refused to negotiate solutions that will keep our country functioning and safe. In the meantime, two children have unconscionably died in U.S. government custody, thousands of government workers are being denied their incomes, treasured national parks are in disarray, and Native American communities are being disproportionately deprived of critical services.
“American taxpayers have made their views clear. As citizens and as people, we must not only hold our government accountable for spending our taxpayer dollars wisely, but also demand that it take responsibility and address the deaths of the two children under its care and the dangerous situation it is creating for communities on the southern border. Anything less is shameful. Our government cannot get away with this blatant and dangerous disregard for human lives.”
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CLINIC v. Rubio
This lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s sweeping suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries.
Last update: Aug 21, 2026
Federal Court Strikes Down Trump’s Discriminatory 75-Country Visa Ban
Published Aug 21, 2026 In a major victory for families, fairness, and the rule of law, a federal court in New York struck down the Trump administration’s blanket, nationality-based “public charge” ban on immigrant visa processing for people from 75...
Community Alert: Traveling on “advance parole” now triggers 3- and 10-year bars
Published Aug 17, 2026 The Board of Immigration Appeals has changed the consequences of traveling on “advance parole.” If you are thinking about traveling outside the U.S. on “advance parole” and you have been in the U.S. without permission for 180+ days, now...
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Published Aug 12, 2026 Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement in response to reports that ICE is planning to spend up to $20 million on electric shock...