Love letters dedicated to immigrants took over social media this Valentine’s Day.
The #ToImmigrantsWithLove letter writing campaign is a joint project of the nonprofit organization Define American and the I Am An Immigrant movement. According to the site made for the campaign, it was created for immigrants and allies to “publicly acknowledge that we are standing with immigrants no matter what.”
This campaign comes just days after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department’s first concerted effort to arrest undocumented immigrants during the Trump administration. ICE enforcement actions were seen across the nation this past week in cities such as Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles.
Despite the ICE action, people continue to show support for immigrants across social media. One such supporter is Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-California. Sanchez shared her love letter on Instagram on Tuesday. “Immigrants like my mom and dad are what make this country great again,” Sanchez wrote.
While some messages are personal, others take a broader approach, addressing all immigrants in the United States. A letter tweeted by Democratic Nevada Sen. Cortez Masto said, “Dear immigrants, you are welcome here.”
Participants have shown their support by using the hashtag or by uploading a love letter video to the site. As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign had sparked more than 12,000 tweets, with politicians, celebrities and regular folks voicing their support.
For Ananya Munjal, a daughter of two immigrants, the campaign is personal. Both her parents moved from their native India to the United States in 1997.
“Coming to America was my dad’s biggest dream,” said Munjal. She used the campaign to tweet a tribute to her parents, who are celebrating their 21st Valentine’s Day together.
“I was hoping to honor two wonderful people who have worked hard and given back to the community that has given so much to them,” said Munjal.
