Dear Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, and Minority Leader Jeffries:

We, the undersigned organizations, urge Congress not to support legislation or fund executive actions that rely on the false and bigoted conspiracy theory that migration constitutes a literal “invasion,” propelled by malevolent actors. This bigoted narrative has already been leveraged to promote policies that have and will continue to have a devastating impact on immigrant communities. It has also inspired a pattern of white nationalist and antisemitic deadly attacks across the nation. Use of this bigoted conspiracy theory as justification for a policy agenda poses a public safety risk not only to the immigrant communities who are targeted for policy enforcement, but also to Jewish, Black, Brown, Muslim, LGBTQ+, AANHPI, Latinx and many other communities who are implicated in this conspiratorial rhetoric. It also constitutes a direct threat to our democracy. Congress must refuse to further legitimize this bigotry by sanctioning or funding policies in its name.

Until recently, the suggestion that migration to the United States is equivalent to a military-style invasion intentionally orchestrated by nefarious actors – an idea built on white nationalist and antisemitic bigotry – remained on the fringe of our political discourse. Yet today, the President of the United States has fully embraced this bigoted conspiracy theory and is using it as the basis for policy, including two separate Executive Orders: “Guaranteeing The States Protection Against Invasion” and “Protecting The American People Against Invasion.”

Again and again, our country has experienced hate violence inspired, in part, by the invasion conspiracy theory. Domestic terrorists targeted the Latino community in El Paso, Texas, Black Americans in Buffalo, New York, and Jews in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, among other foiled plots and acts of political violence. The legitimization of this bigoted conspiracy by the new Administration and any additional support from Congress will only increase the likelihood for similar acts of political violence, as well as vigilante or paramilitary mobilization by civilians who feel empowered to combat the so-called “invasion” on their own terms. 

Bigoted conspiracy theories have long been a tool to justify anti-democracy measures in response to supposed violent, militaristic threats. While recent executive orders invoke the invasion conspiracy theory to impose expansive authorities on immigration, lawmakers have also deployed it to justify attacks on voting rights. To protect our democratic institutions,  Congress must definitively and proactively dispute the false claim of invasion. 

Immigration policy is an important topic that demands congressional discussion and debate. We implore Senate and House leadership not to support or fund efforts that are led by a fictional and dangerous conspiracy theory purporting an “invasion.” Congress should not provide the justification for continued attacks on our democracy. We cannot let a false and bigoted conspiracy theory replace critical policy conversations, nor threaten the safety and liberty of our communities. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Signed,