Time for Us All to Stand Up for Our Democracy

WASHINGTON—The following statement is from Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council:

It is not news that our nation is in an unprecedented moment where many of our democratic traditions and norms are being challenged. We have grown deeply concerned by the ongoing attacks on democracy that are unfolding before us.

The American Immigration Council has long been dedicated to advancing the democratic principles of due process, equal treatment under the law, government transparency, and fact-fueled debate. However, we now feel compelled to speak out in support of the right of people to assemble peacefully and to oppose actions taken by the government to curtail this core constitutional right. We also condemn racist rhetoric and the violence and harm it promotes, and we reject cynical tactics that politicize the public’s pain and depress free speech and peaceful protest.

“The drift into authoritarianism doesn’t always set off alarm bells. Citizens are often slow to realize that their democracy is being dismantled even as it happens before their eyes,” wrote political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.

We are now in a fight for our core democratic principles and each one of us must lift our own unique voice.

The American Immigration Council’s vision of a fair and just immigration system depends on upholding these principles. And, as an organization, we have deep roots in the legal community—many of our board members, staff, and partners are attorneys who have sworn to uphold the Constitution. We must keep this promise at the fore.

Like many of you, we are exhausted and overwhelmed, but we must gather our second wind and work together to preserve the values that underpin our democratic system of government.

Our future depends on it.