Fighting Unjust Immigration Policies
Dear Variant Strategies community,
As we enter 2025, we are planning for Trump to assume the office of President for a second term. Many communities we work with are facing fear and threats, none more than the immigrant community. I keep getting the question: “Is Trump really going to pursue mass deportation?” Individuals and families who have spent their lives as productive members of the U.S. population, many of whom have escaped violence and insecurity, sometimes more than 20 years ago, are being told they will be sent back to their country of origin.
In addition, there is the huge problem that there is no opposition to Trump's hardline policies toward immigrants and refugees. There is no realistic, humane, policy for progressives and voters to rally around. This is something Variant would like to work on with partners this year.
The fears we face today are the same and more than what we faced in 2016, when Donald Trump rose to office and a surge in ICE raids and deportations ensued. Working with immigration attorneys and the immigrant community, and partners including Brooklyn Defender Services, Mediatank Productions, and later the ACLU and WITNESS, we launched the We Have Rights campaign to provide essential information for immigrants to protect themselves against deportation. Today, we reaffirm our dedication to supporting and defending immigrant rights and advocating for a comprehensive, humane immigration policy. A start is to push out the videos we produced for the We Have Rights campaign in 2018 that saved many thousands of lives and can do the same now.
Overview: We Have Rights Campaign
The We Have Rights campaign centers on a series of animated videos—available in nine languages, including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and Haitian Creole—covering common scenarios immigrants face during interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):
- When ICE is outside our doors.
A fifth video, released in 2020, focuses on best practices for documenting ICE arrests and abuses, equipping immigrants and their allies with tools to advocate for accountability and justice.
We need your help to re-distribute these essential videos, translate them into more languages and to create more for other common scenarios where immigrants are under threat.
Impact
The original We Have Rights campaign reached over 24 million people, helped millions of immigrants in understanding their rights, and saved many thousands of immigrants from deportation. The campaign's videos are widely utilized by lawyers, service providers, and community organizations in training sessions and waiting rooms. Translations continue to expand, with French added to make the resources even more accessible.
Our Continued Efforts
As part of our ongoing commitment, Variant Strategies remains in close collaboration with local organizations to better understand community needs and adapt our efforts. By working with partners like MediaTank Productions, Brooklyn Defender Services, and the ACLU, we continue to push for a comprehensive, realistic, and humane immigration policy. Together, we are creating impactful, empowering content to support immigrants in safeguarding their futures.
Today, just as in 2016, we stand united against fear and injustice.
Please help spread these videos to those in need.
Best,
Abby Goldberg
CEO and Founder of Variant Strategies