In an open letter published by People, Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui blasts Donald Trump over his executive order, which is to halt visas for 120 days, indefinitely block Syrian refugees and bar entry of nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. The measure went into immediate effect on Jan. 28, causing many to be detained at U.S. airports and prompting protests soon thereafter.
Jauregui – of Cuban descent – is but one of countless who has been rattled and personally offended by Trump’s unconstitutional command, penning a scathing letter reminding POTUS and the rest of the world that the American fabric is, in fact, inherently immigrant.
Raise your hand if you are an immigrant, or the sons and daughters of immigrant parents, or the grandchildren of immigrants, or the great-grandchildren, or great-great-grandchildren? Wait…are everyone’s hands up—including yours, Mr. Trump—except for the Indigenous people of the Americas?! Because they should be.
She runs through a brief history lesson on the Spanish conquistadors, delving into the enslavement and massacres of the indigenous peoples, before quoting “America the Beautiful” and calling out forefathers on their treacherous bullsh*t. In other words, for Jauregui, the jig has long been up and now’s the time to take action:
Everything you’ve been taught, everything you know, this nationalism you’ve had instilled in you since you were born here or came here, is all a sham. When we all start to wake up and realize that our comforts are fleeting and more money is never going to save this world, maybe, just maybe, will we be able to return back to the grace of America’s principle values […] This country was built and continues to survive off the backs of immigrants and refugees. The term refugee in itself is such a significant word. These people are not terrorists: Many are escaping wars that we created in their lands. To tell another human being that the disastrous tortures of war are not important and to then go even a step further and insult their plight for freedom by labeling them “terrorists” is just disrespectful to humanity. The only terrorism that both history and I have experienced has been at the hands of powerful White men who are willing to systematically kill and conquer without an ounce of empathy for anything but their pockets.
And the “Islamic terrorists” were born in the UNITED STATES
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The oft-outspoken singer closes out with a poignant reminder that history will repeat itself, before urging us to visit “IPJC.org and ACLU.org and take action in a community near you. We cannot afford woke tweets and Instagram posts alone. We need action. Take your future back into your hands.”