Statement on the 2024 Presidential Election
Washington, DC – The following is the statement of Human Rights First President and CEO, Sue Hendrickson, on the 2024 presidential election.
With the results of the 2024 election, the United States has entered a disturbing and uncertain era. Donald Trump’s return to the presidency could present the United States with one of the greatest threats to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law – at home and abroad – that it has ever faced.
Donald Trump has been clear about his belief that he can act with impunity and his intention to disregard the rights of individuals. Believe him. At Human Rights First we won’t let abuses go unchallenged. We will fight to uphold democratic ideals and institutions, safeguard human rights and civil liberties for all, resist efforts to weaponize the government, and hold individuals and institutions accountable. No one is above the law.
For four years, Human Rights First worked to thwart abuses of the first Trump Administration and we will do so again. We stood firm against the Trump Administration’s plans to bar refugees from the United States, to restart policies of torture, and to condone impunity. With that experience – and our almost 50-year track record of successful advocacy and action – we are ready to confront the challenges of the next four years.
No matter who sits in the Oval Office, at Human Rights First we are committed to:
- protecting the rights of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers;
- combating hate, misinformation, and extremism;
- demanding accountability and change when governments seek to act with impunity or to limit the freedoms guaranteed to all people; and
- standing with human rights defenders and advocates.
Domestically and globally, Human Rights First will work with allies, coalitions, and supporters to protect people, democracy, and the rule of law. Together, we will resist the rising tide of authoritarianism that increasingly threatens individual rights, communities, and global security.
At Human Rights First, we imagine a just and secure world where every person can live a life of freedom and dignity. Respect for human rights and the rule of law is how we will get there.
Stand with us in the fight to realize that vision.
