Statement on the April 2025 Presidential Proclamation on National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

The Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault strongly rejects the April 2025 Presidential Proclamation that falsely and dangerously links sexual violence in the United States to immigration and border policy. This rhetoric is misleading, unsupported by evidence, and undermines decades of work by survivors, advocates, public health experts, and communities committed to ending sexual violence. Sexual violence is a widespread and urgent public safety crisis that affects people in every community, regardless of immigration status, race, ethnicity, or background. Weaponizing this issue for political gain by targeting immigrant communities violates the principles of truth, justice, and public safety. Grounded in our core values, we are called to respond with clarity and conviction. We challenge the systemic oppression that fuels violence and reject the harmful, xenophobic lie that blames immigrants for sexual violence, a distortion that distracts from the real causes. Ending sexual violence takes all of us, and immigrant communities are essential partners in creating safe, just, and thriving communities. We are committed to truth, to transparency, and to centering the voices and lived experiences of survivors. Misinformation and fear-based rhetoric do real harm not only to survivors but to entire communities and the fabric of our democracy. That is why we champion evidence-based prevention strategies that get to the root of violence. We will not stay silent in the face of injustice. We will speak out, act boldly, and stand united against narratives that divide and dehumanize.

The facts make this clear:

• The American Immigration Council 2024 report noted that from 1980 to 2022, while the immigrant population in the U.S. more than doubled, crime rates fell by over 60%.
• Immigrants are arrested at significantly lower rates for all types of crime, including sexual assault, compared to U.S.-born citizens (National Institute of Justice).
• The 2024 report conducted by the Migration Policy Institute indicated that nineteen peer-reviewed studies between 2017 and 2024 show that increased immigration has no effect or is associated with lower crime rates.
• According to a national crime data report, 57% of rape perpetrators are white men, and 1 in 5 women in the U.S. will experience sexual violence in their lifetime regardless of immigration policy.

Using sexual violence to advance an anti-immigrant agenda is not only deeply immoral, it is harmful, divisive, and distracts from the real work of prevention and healing. Survivors deserve dignity, support, and access to justice, not to have their trauma exploited for political gain.

We urge leaders, institutions, and communities to reject disinformation and stand in solidarity with all survivors. Ending sexual violence requires truth, equity, and the courage to take bold action.

In Solidarity,

Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Contact: [email protected] | 651.209.9993