National Faith Leader Condemns Racist, Dehumanizing Language in State of the Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 5, 2020

​MEDIA CONTACT

Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123
Mackenzie Harris, mharris@faithinpubliclife.org, (610) 283-8879

National Faith Leader Condemns Racist, Dehumanizing Language in State of the Union

Washington, D.C. — President Trump’s State of the Union address vilified immigrants and used dehumanizing language to describe them.​

Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Public Life (Washington, D.C.):

“President Trump showed disregard for basic human dignity during his State of the Union spectacle. Claiming to protect religious liberty just four days after expanding the Muslim ban is an insult to the constitution and to Muslims inside and outside the United States. All of our immigrant neighbors and family are part of the fabric of this nation. Using the language of ‘illegal alien’ to describe human beings made in the image of God is immoral. And the president’s misleading claims and graphic description of violent crimes committed by immigrants fuel the flames of mass violence. ​

Words have consequences. A white supremacist terrorist who murdered 22 people in El Paso left an anti-immigrant, anti-Latino manifesto laced with the president’s rhetoric. I’m praying for the safety of immigrants and that the president repents of inciting violence against them.”​

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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, with a network of over 50,000 leaders, they are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level that affirms our values and the human dignity of all.