By Grace McGettigan
03rd Jul 2018
03rd Jul 2018
Chrissy Teigen has always been outspoken when it comes to her dislike of Donald Trump. For years she has criticised his policies, never shying away from important issues such as feminism and immigration. He ignored her for a long time, before eventually responding in typical Trump fashion: he blocked her on Twitter. But, as the president has since come to learn, it takes more than a social media block to dampen Teigen’s spirit.
Over the weekend, the mum-of-two attended a Families Belong Together rally in Los Angeles. With her newborn son Miles nestled across her chest, she spoke powerfully about her own experience of immigration in America. “This is his first rally,” she began, indicating to Miles. “I’m really proud to be here, obviously. You guys are so incredible and give me so much hope.
“I’m incredibly proud to be a daughter of an immigrant. My mother grew up in a very small village in Thailand, and she never lets me forget it. We love that the American story is filled with people who come from all over the world to have a better life here. America at its best is big, beautiful, and diverse. It’s not small, it’s not petty, and it’s not exclusive, like Mar-a-Lago (an exclusive resort in Florida owned by Donald Trump)”.
“Can you imagine this city without immigrants?” Chrissy Teigen continued. “How bland, how flavourless LA would be. How boring. Too many people demonise immigrants like they’re stealing something from the people born here. Immigrants don’t come here to take away from us, they add to what makes America special.
“Making America great doesn’t mean building walls to keep people out; it means continuing to embrace the dreams of immigrants who add to our culture, our economy, and our humanity. Making America greater most definitely doesn’t mean turning asylum-seekers away or kidnapping their kids to turn them away from coming here. I cannot even comprehend the kind of cruelty in the hearts of the people who enacted this policy, but I do know they did not expect us to come together in such an incredible way (and in incredible numbers) to resist this. We are here and we are not going away.
Chrissy Teigen at the Families Belong Together March: “I’m incredibly proud to be a daughter of an immigrant.” https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-rally-family-separation-20180629-story.html pic.twitter.com/2oS1JhDcYj
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 30, 2018
“We are here because we believe America can and should do better. John and I are going to keep showing up and speaking out and making sure your voices are heard,” the 32-year-old concluded amid loud cheers from the crowd.
The Families Belong Together rally comes after Trump’s controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which separated more than 2,000 children from their parents at the Mexico border. Protest marches against the scheme took place across America on Saturday.
Photo: Chrissy Teigen, Instagram
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