President Donald Trump issued a proclamation recognizing National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month — one that differs from similar recognitions issued in his first term both because of its focus and because Trump himself was found liable for sexual abuse in 2023. 

The proclamation, issued Thursday evening, is narrowly focused on blaming “a dramatic increase of sexual violence in our neighborhoods and communities” on “the invasion of illegal aliens at our southern border,” pointing a finger at the Biden administration’s immigration policies. 

It’s a sharp turn from the statements Trump published in his first term, which largely highlighted the need for more support for survivors and accountability for perpetrators.

The statement erroneously claims that assaults by undocumented immigrants are one of the leading causes of sexual violence in recent years. In reality, most victims of sexual assault are harmed by someone they know. Eight out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, according to data from the Department of Justice. 

Omny Miranda Martone, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Sexual Violence Prevention Association, wrote over text message that this is a classic case of what the organization calls SORVO — Systemic Oppression, Reverse Victim and Offender. “President Trump wants to systemically oppress immigrants, so he accuses them of committing high rates of sexual violence,” they wrote. “The reality is, immigrants face higher rates of sexual violence than natural born citizens and are less likely to perpetuate crime.”

While research from the federal government has found immigrants commit less crime than U.S.-born people, Trump and his allies have often drawn attention to the tragic cases of American women and girls killed by undocumented immigrants. In his proclamation, Trump cites the deaths of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray and Rachel Morin, all of whom were killed in the past two years. An undocumented immigrant man in November was found guilty of Riley’s murder. Undocumented immigrants have been charged in Nungaray’s and Morin’s deaths; the trial in Morin’s case began this week. Riley’s murder was an anti-immigrant flashpoint for Republicans, and Trump signed legislation drafted in her honor that now allows for immigrants to be deported for nonviolent crimes. The mothers of Riley and Nungaray were also special guests at Trump’s joint address to Congress in March.

In May of 2023, Trump was found liable in federal court for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996 and defaming her afterward. He was originally ordered to pay $5 million in damages, but that amount increased by an eye-popping $83 million after Trump was found liable for defaming Carroll again after the initial verdict.

In addition to Carroll, a number of women have accused the president of sexual misconduct. Many in Trump’s inner circle, including multiple people confirmed to the Cabinet, have also been accused of sexual misconduct.

“President Trump doesn’t care about women or sexual violence survivors,” Martone wrote. “He simply uses his faux defense of women to justify oppressing minorities, particularly immigrants and trans people.”