(Washington, January 20, 2025) – After a first term marked by policies that violated human rights, the new Trump administration has proposed a dangerous path forward. Certain policies promoted by President-elect Donald Trump and his spokespeople during the election campaign also risk emboldening white supremacists in the United States, which is particularly troubling when, coincidentally, his inauguration will take place during Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Human rights still apply to all people, everywhere. These rights should neither be invoked nor ignored solely on the basis of political interests. Everyone in the United States should be able to enjoy all of these fundamental rights and freedoms. Many human rights protections are embedded in U.S. law and the Constitution, as well as the Bill of Rights (Bill of Rights) of this country. Additionally, the United States, like any other country, has an obligation to respect international human rights law.
We expect the U.S. government to ensure that all human and civil rights are respected and fully realized.
Dr. King’s courage, leadership, and human qualities, as well as his legacy of fighting for all categories of human rights, including the right to vote, economic and social justice, and racial equality through protests, of speeches and movement building, have challenged injustice and are golden threads woven into the complex fabric of American history.
But soiled threads are also part of this fabric. Certain laws and policies have codified the oppression and dehumanization of Black people and Indigenous peoples in numerous ways, including the theft of Indigenous peoples’ land, the persistence of slavery, the creation of segregationist laws. Jim Crow “, the forced separation of indigenous children from their families to place them in ” internationals “, discrimination in real estate, ” war on drugs ”, and the separation of families in the justice and immigration systems.
Throughout U.S. history, including during Dr. King’s lifetime, social movements led by Black people, as well as indigenous people, women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people with disabilities, religious and ethnic minorities, and others, moved this country toward a more just reality, despite powerful actors and government officials who opposed their cause.
Ordinary citizens have always demanded and obtained respect for their human rights, a reality rooted in the history of the United States, as well as in the histories, religions and traditions of people around the world. We are committed to upholding this legacy of international human rights and refuse to give it up, even in the face of daunting obstacles. We intend to monitor and analyze the actions of the new administration, just as we have done for previous administrations and will do so in the future.
We will work on advocacy in the United States in a variety of areas over the next four years.
We are immediately focusing our attention on the following areas, given the election promises made by Donald Trump during his campaign, and the risk that his administration may seek to quickly implement executive orders affecting them:
- Immigrant rights
- Freedom of expression, right to peaceful protest and dissent
- Right to vote
- Racial justice
The policies proposed by the new Trump administration directly contradict Dr. King’s commitment to racial justice and democratic participation.
Detailed continuation in English.
-Signatory organizations:
Amnesty International USA
Detention Watch Network
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch
Legal Defense Fund
National Immigration Law Center
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Southern Poverty Law Center
