Charlize Theron speaks out on immigration policies that have ‘destroyed the lives of families, not criminals’

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Charlize Theron, a naturalized US citizen, spoke out about changing policies in the country she has made her home.

At her annual Africa Outreach Project Block Party over the weekend, Theron thanked attendees for “taking the time to be a part of this, especially when the world feels like it’s burning because it is.”

“Here in Los Angeles, in the US and across the globe, we’re moving backwards fast. Immigration policy has destroyed the lives of families, not criminals; women’s rights are becoming less and less every day; queer and trans lives are increasingly being erased; and gender-based violence is on the rise,” Theron said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The issue of immigration is very personal to the star, who immigrated from South Africa to the United States and became a US citizen in 2007.

Her block party is held to raise funds to help youth in Africa. Theron spoke out against US aid “cuts [that] have brought HIV and AIDS programs in my home country of South Africa to an absolute standstill.”

“All of this is not just detrimental, it’s dangerous; people will lose their lives — many have already, unfortunately, and at a frightening rate,” she said. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see this kind of unnecessary suffering.”

“But what we also see, what we cannot miss, is the resistance. There is hope,” Theron added. “There is power in all of us standing up, organizing, protesting, voting, and caring for each other, and refusing to accept that this is the new normal.”

The event is part of the star’s nonprofit the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

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