February 2, 2017

President Donald J. Trump

The White House
United States of America

Dear President Trump,

The National Latina/o Psychological Association is an organization composed of mental health professionals committed to promoting awareness and understanding of issues pertaining to the health, mental health, and overall well-being of Latina/o communities. Our membership wishes to express its strongest condemnation of the three Executive Orders you have signed: 1) constructing a border wall between the United States and Mexico; 2) banning individuals from Muslim-majority countries from entering the US; and 3) threatening to cut all federal funding from sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their effort to detain and deport undocumented individuals. These executive orders only serve to foster hatred, animosity, and international contempt of our great nation.

The US has long been recognized as a safe refuge for diverse immigrant communities fleeing economic, political, and social unrest. We are gravely concerned that these blatant anti-immigrant actions will negatively impact individuals currently in the US as well as those who would seek to contribute to the future vitality of our country. Additionally, the harm caused by this xenophobic, racist, and discriminatory sentiment only serves to isolate and marginalize, impacting the mental health of untold numbers. We are a country built on the hopes, dreams, sacrifices, and hard work of millions of immigrants who have played a significant role in making this country a beacon of prosperity and humanity across the world. This includes the immense intellectual and economic contributions made throughout the decades. We are proud of this legacy and must preserve this long-standing tradition of ours.

We, at NLPA are ready to assist your administration in crafting sensible immigration legislation grounded in the principles of dignity and respect. As an organization guided by a moral compass imbued in social justice, we are also prepared to stand up in one voice and challenge any and all executive orders or other proposed legislative actions you introduce that are divisive, racist, discriminatory, and anti-immigrant. We hope to join you and our leaders in Congress in a civil conversation that underscores one of the fundamental tenets of our democracy: all people are deserving of our support.

Sincerely,

Y. Evie Garcia, Ph.D.

NLPA President

cc: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer

House Speaker Paul Ryan

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi