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Experts Warn Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Could Erode Rights and Lead to Autocracy

-Editorial

In 2022, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, launched Project 2025, an initiative designed to reshape the U.S. federal government and consolidate executive power should their preferred candidate win the election. Experts have characterized Project 2025 as an ideological blueprint that could steer the nation toward autocracy, warning that its implementation might erode the rule of law, weaken the separation of powers, blur the lines between church and state, and jeopardize civil liberties.

The implications of the proposed policies within Project 2025 for immigrant rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights are significant and concerning. To address these issues, policy leaders and advocates convened on an Ethnic Media Services panel, referencing a recent analysis from the AAPI Equity Alliance.

Manjusha (Manju) P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, passionately described Project 2025 as a far-reaching immigration policy agenda threatening the rights of immigrant communities across the nation. Kulkarni represented a coalition of nearly 50 community-based organizations serving the 1.6 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in Los Angeles County.

“Project 2025 poses an existential threat to our communities,” Kulkarni asserted. “We’ve thoroughly reviewed the document’s over 900 pages, revealing extremist policies aimed at demonizing immigrant populations, particularly through mass deportation and the rollback of protections like DACA.”

The project proposes measures that would grant immigration agents sweeping authority to arrest and deport individuals without judicial oversight. Kulkarni warned that this could result in agents entering private homes, schools, businesses, and houses of worship without warrants, targeting individuals based solely on suspicion of their immigration status.

“What will ICE do?” Kulkarni asked. “Will they separate parents from their U.S. citizen children? What if ICE detains citizens or legal immigrants mistakenly, as they have in the past?”

She also highlighted broader ramifications, including the potential elimination of family-based immigration, a reduction in H-1B visas, and the termination of birthright citizenship. Kulkarni urged communities to read and disseminate the full analysis of Project 2025, calling for vigilance against this “extremist agenda.”

Sulma Arias, Executive Director of People’s Action Institute and People’s Action, stressed the importance of voter engagement ahead of the upcoming election. Arias emphasized their goal of reaching nearly half a million undecided and unregistered voters through volunteer efforts and partnerships.

“We collaborate with tens of thousands of individuals and organizations to engage with voters, particularly in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona,” Arias explained. “In these regions, especially rural areas, we focus on discussions that resonate with our values.”

Arias noted a critical lack of awareness about Project 2025, particularly within Latino communities. “There is minimal education or discussion about Project 2025, even among Latino voters,” she remarked. “We make it a priority to address our hopes, fears, and the implications of Project 2025 during our outreach.”

Reflecting on the political landscape, Arias acknowledged the entrenched interests behind these agendas. “This is a culmination of ideas that have long been part of a broader agenda,” she stated. “We must recognize the corporate interests, like the Heritage Foundation, that align with these policies.”

Yvonne Gutierrez, Chief Strategy Officer for Reproductive Freedom for All, raised alarms about Project 2025’s sweeping implications for reproductive rights in the U.S. In her impassioned address, Gutierrez highlighted her organization’s commitment to advancing reproductive health, including abortion access and contraception.

“For over 50 years, we have been at the forefront of advocating for abortion rights and reproductive protections,” Gutierrez noted, stressing the urgency of the situation. “Project 2025 is a blueprint designed to dismantle our fundamental rights and democracy, with the potential for immediate enactment by a new administration.”

Gutierrez detailed how the agenda outlined in Project 2025 threatens reproductive freedom. “This document propagates misinformation about reproductive healthcare while promoting extremist views that idealize a misogynistic and heteronormative society,” she warned. “Its implications extend beyond abortion, potentially affecting contraception and in vitro fertilization.”

Among the most alarming provisions, she pointed out the project’s attempts to misinterpret the Comstock Act to restrict access to abortion pills and medical equipment, effectively banning abortion nationwide without congressional or judicial oversight.

Gutierrez also raised concerns about “personhood” language that could restrict access to birth control and fertility treatments. “This project could compel the National Institutes of Health to render embryo-destructive research as ‘ethically unthinkable,’ hindering progress in reproductive health.”

Additionally, she stressed that Project 2025 could jeopardize emergency medical care for pregnant individuals. “By halting investigations into hospitals that refuse necessary abortion care, countless individuals may face life-threatening situations,” she said.

Gutierrez urged citizens to recognize the imminent threat of Project 2025 and advocate for reproductive freedoms. “Eight out of ten Americans support access to abortion and reproductive rights,” she asserted. “We must mobilize to ensure our voices are heard in defense of our fundamental freedoms.”

Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California, strongly opposed Project 2025 and its implications for the LGBTQ+ community. He highlighted the detrimental effects it could have on civil rights, healthcare access, voting rights, and environmental protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.

“Project 2025 exemplifies the potential fallout from four years under a Trump administration, threatening to dismantle the rights of the LGBTQ+ community,” Hoang stated. “It serves as a wrecking ball targeting the progress we’ve made in LGBTQ+ rights.”

Hoang drew attention to the individuals behind Project 2025, noting the influence of former Trump administration officials who have a history of opposing LGBTQ+ rights, such as Roger Severino. He also highlighted the involvement of far-right organizations on the project’s Advisory Board, including Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council, known for their regressive policies.

Addressing the project’s implications for transgender individuals, Hoang expressed concern over the framing of transgender identity as akin to pornography. “Project 2025’s stance on transgender issues is deeply discriminatory and concerning,” he remarked.

As Equality California continues to champion LGBTQ+ rights and equality, Hoang emphasized the need for collective action to counter initiatives like Project 2025 that threaten the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals. The organization remains committed to defending the rights of all LGBTQ+ people, ensuring their respect and equality in society.

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