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Trump says undocumented immigrants are dangerous. This congressman has a great response.

Rep. Jared Polis is shining a light on Trump's attack on immigrants.

Trump says undocumented immigrants are dangerous. This congressman has a great response.

When President Donald Trump announced a plan to publicize crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, members of the audience gasped in surprise and disappointment.

The program is called the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office (VOICE), and its goal, as outlined by Trump during his February address to a joint session of Congress, is to study "the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States" and publicize crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.

Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/Getty Images.

Critics worry — and rightfully so — that the program will create a false impression that immigrants are prone to violent crime, a popular misconception that has been consistently debunked. A recent study found that immigrants — undocumented or not — commit crimes at a lower rate than natural-born citizens. They also contribute a lot to the U.S. economy.

In response, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) launched a similar database with the idea to counter Trump's narrative by telling positive stories about immigrants.

While something needs to be done about our current immigration system, trying to sway public fear by smearing undocumented immigrants as violent (false), job-stealing (false) freeloaders (false, false, false) is a disingenuous way of going about it.

Facts matter, and that's what Polis hopes to demonstrate with his new Saved by American Immigrants National Taskforce (SAINT). In a press release, Polis explained that the purpose of SAINT is "to collect stories of immigrants — both documented and undocumented — who have positively contributed to U.S. society through heroic or lifesaving acts."

Polis speaks during a 2011 press conference. Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images.

In announcing the task force to the House of Representatives, Polis highlighted three examples of stories SAINT will focus on.

There's the story of Antonio Diaz Chacon, an undocumented immigrant who saved a 6-year-old girl from a child abductor in 2011. In 2007, Jesus Manuel Cordova was crossing the Mexico/U.S. border when he found and saved a 9-year-old boy lost alone in the desert. Also in 2007, Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, an undocumented immigrant living in Baltimore, became a world-renowned brain surgeon.

The creation of Polis' task force simply shines a light on Trump's unfair characterization of immigrants as a whole, providing more than one narrative of immigrants' contributions to America. Polis' goal, as he's made clear over the past several years, is to find a comprehensive immigration reform program that works for all Americans, regardless of where they were born.

You can watch Polis announce SAINT in the video below and read more about the program on his website.

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After their BLM flag was torn in two, an anonymous neighbor left them the perfect note

After Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man, was pursued and shot by three white residents while jogging through a Georgia suburb, Ellen and Patrick Miller* of San Diego hung a Black Lives Matter flag in front of their house. It was a small gesture, but something tangible they could do.

Like many people, they wanted to both support the BLM movement and bring awareness about racism to members of their community. Despite residing in a part of the county notoriously rumored to be marred by white supremacists and their beliefs, their neighbors didn't say much about it—at first.

Recently, though, during a short window when both Ellen and Patrick were out of the house, someone sliced the flag in two and left the remains in their yard.

via Paula Fitzgibbons

They were upset, but not surprised.

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racial justice
popular

After their BLM flag was torn in two, an anonymous neighbor left them the perfect note

After Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man, was pursued and shot by three white residents while jogging through a Georgia suburb, Ellen and Patrick Miller* of San Diego hung a Black Lives Matter flag in front of their house. It was a small gesture, but something tangible they could do.

Like many people, they wanted to both support the BLM movement and bring awareness about racism to members of their community. Despite residing in a part of the county notoriously rumored to be marred by white supremacists and their beliefs, their neighbors didn't say much about it—at first.

Recently, though, during a short window when both Ellen and Patrick were out of the house, someone sliced the flag in two and left the remains in their yard.

via Paula Fitzgibbons

They were upset, but not surprised.

Keep Reading Show less
racial justice
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The Elevate Prize
The Elevate Prize
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Want to be the change? Join an Elevate Giving Circle.

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If you've ever donated to a cause but worried that your contribution wasn't really enough to drive real change, you're not alone. As one person, it can be tough to feel like you're making a real difference, especially if you don't have a lot to donate or if times are tough (aka there's a worldwide pandemic going on.)

That's why, for years, the idea of philanthropy felt a little bit like a rich person's thing: if you had millions, you could donate and make change. The rest of us were just tossing pennies into a cup without really doing much.

But that's a problem: the priorities of a wealthy few don't represent the priorities of many, which means that good causes are often left underfunded, leading to a lack of meaningful action.

The thing is: it doesn't have to be like this. We can all make a difference, especially if we pool our money together.

Enter: Giving Circles. These are when groups of people with shared values come together to drive change. They do it by pooling their time and money together, then deciding as a circle where it should go. That way, they can cause a real targeted change in one place quickly in a very people-powered way by giving what they can, whether that's volunteer hours, money, or a mix of both. Best of all, Giving Circles are a social experience — you get to work together as a community to make sure you do the most good you can.

In other words, giving circles are a way to democratize philanthropy, making it more accessible regardless of your age, income, gender, or race.

That's why this year, The Elevate Prize, a nonprofit founded in 2019, is launching a new pop-up "Giving Circle" program so that problem solvers, budding philanthropists, and anyone that wants to do good can come together and drive real impact at a large scale. And you can do it all in just 90 minutes.

All you have to do is join one of the Elevate Giving Circles online. Learn about organizations doing good for the world, then pool your money together, and as a group, direct it where you think that donation could make the most difference.

But that's not all: every single donation made is matched by the Elevate Prize Foundation — basically guaranteeing that you double your impact for good. The theme for the first cycle is education, and Elevate Giving will match up to $75,000 in total donations for each cycle.

Ready to get involved? Elevate Giving experiences start June 26th, so sign up now for your spot to make a difference. There's no minimum fee to join either — so get involved no matter what you have to give. Now that's philanthropy for all.

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