Conditions along the southern border are nothing short of horrific. Migrant families and children - coming to our country in search of a better life - are instead being held in dirty, overcrowded camps, and denied basic necessities like clean water and blankets.
Donald Trump's hateful rhetoric and racist policies have paved the way for these inhumane conditions but, together, we can turn the tide.
Just because Massachusetts is thousands of miles from Mexico doesn't mean the crisis at the border doesn't impact us. We all have a moral responsibility to ensure that immigrants seeking refuge and opportunity are treated with respect and compassion. Now is when we need leaders who will stand up to Donald Trump and his hateful policies.
Instead, as he has so many times before when it came to choosing between national Republicans and what is right, Governor Charlie Baker has remained dispiritingly quiet, and the Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Jim Lyons, has engaged in the same kind of fear-mongering that has been used by the Trump Administration to justify the denial of basic rights to migrants.
We need leaders who will reject the politically-convenient middle ground, who will speak out forcefully in defense of our immigrant communities and those coming to our country seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Charlie Baker and Jim Lyons are clearly failing that test.
Chip in today to show Republicans in Massachusetts - and across the country - that we stand united with immigrants, and against hatred, bigotry, and political cowardice.