PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: An activist identified her illegal immigrant status during a rally, sparking calls for her deportation.
👥 Who’s Involved: Greisa Martinez Rosas, a DACA recipient and activist; critics and supporters of President Donald J. Trump.
📍 Where & When: Washington, D.C., at the ‘Hands Off!’ rally on Saturday.
💬 Key Quote: “I am an immigrant, I am undocumented, unafraid, queer, and unashamed,” said Rosas at the rally.
⚠️ Impact: Online backlash ensued, with demands for her deportation and attention from Trump administration officials.
IN FULL:
In Washington, D.C., during the ‘Hands Off!’ rally against deportations, activist Greisa Martinez Rosas openly boasted about her illegal immigrant status, leading to calls online for her deportation. Rosas, affiliated with United We Dream, a large youth immigrant organization, characterized herself to the crowd of over 10,000 as “undocumented, unafraid, queer, and unashamed,” stirring a loud response from supporters and detractors alike.
Rosas arrived in the United States from Hidalgo, Mexico, as a minor, and has made a career out of advocating for immigrant rights. Her boasting about her illegal status was met with immediate backlash from America First supporters online, with some directing their comments to Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, in pressing for her removal from the country.
Her work as the executive director of United We Dream, which boasts a membership exceeding 400,000, aligns with her activism background, which dates back to organizing student protests in 2006. Martinez Rosas benefits from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) scheme, which allows her certain temporary protections and a renewable work permit despite her lack of formal documentation.
Her activism drew national attention during the rally, one of many across over 1,200 U.S. locations, in protest of Trump’s deportation efforts and related socio-political grievances involving immigration. Alongside her in-person and social media campaigning for various leftist causes, Rosas has contributed opinion pieces to The New York Times.