As many feared, Donald Trump’s first week as president has shown that his extreme and narrow vision for the United States wasn’t just posturing for the sake of his campaign. On Wednesday, he ushered in sweeping immigration actions with two executive orders that directed the construction of a border wall between Mexico and the United States, threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities, called for an increase of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and detention facilities, halted refugee admissions, and blocked arrivals from seven majority-Muslim countries.
Moving at a whirlwind speed, the Trump Administration has overwhelmed us with xenophobia and bigotry. With the #ImAlreadyHome hashtag, Huffington Post Latino Voices offered us a reprieve from the hate that we’ve encountered this week. “Let’s show the world that immigrants already make America great and defy those who think anyone needs to ‘go back’ anywhere,” Latino Voices tweeted. “Stand in solidarity by tagging photos of yourself and your immigrant families with #ImAlreadyHome.”
Even as anti-immigrant proponents used the hashtag to spew venom, it didn’t take away from the inspiring and powerful stories shared. Looking through, we found tales that highlight immigrants’ struggles and successes. But more importantly, they capture just how crucial they are to the fabric of this nation. At the end of an especially rough week, here are 15 tweets that remind us that immigrants enrich the United States:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
https://twitter.com/tooleeoh/status/824799861992259585
9
10
11
12
https://twitter.com/crysgarza23/status/824818383933886464
13
https://twitter.com/blansoto94/status/824818298315378688
14
https://twitter.com/Marianaa_Suarez/status/824815498940575744