Kursten Phelps spent nearly seven and a half years with a group called the Tahirih Justice Center. She then spent nearly a year with the American Bar Association. Both organizations bolster far-left causes and policies. 

During her time with these organization, Ms. Phelps spoke on numerous panels and video sessions as a representative of the group.

For example, in 2021, Ms. Phelps spoke on a panel entitled “The Role of Social Workers in Immigration Legal Services Organizations.”  Part of a conference on ‘confronting racial injustice,’ hosted by the University of Wisconsin, this was a breakout session led by Tahirih.

[Note: While Ms. Phelps left Tahirih shortly before this event, they nevertheless sponsored and hosted it.]

During this presentation, Ms. Phelps made many far-fetched and racially inflammatory claims, such as her assertion that the COVID pandemic had “a disproportionate impact on immigrants and communities of color.” (14:50)

Ms. Phelps then goes on to describe legal status in the country as an “Economic Justice Barrier” (19:31).  She even claims, “it is frustrating that we have this concept that there are whole classes of people who are not permitted to work legally.” (20:40)

Then, in a section on “individual advocacy in an unjust system,” Ms. Phelps makes several astonishing claims:

• Violence is “rooted in gender norms and systems of oppression and the intersections of those oppressions.” (26:27)

• Transgender Asylum: “Some unchangeable or immutable trait about themselves…their gender identity.” (28:34)

• “It is important to situate, I think, these forms of relief or remedies within an inherently unjust system.” (30:09)

• “To gain [legal] status…requires interaction with systems of oppression.”     (30:24)
• “Reinforcing cultural stereotypes.” (33:00)
• “Dangerous or scary brown man.” (33:13)
• “...they have to be of value to a system of oppression. Systems that can oppress or cause harm directly to their own communities, such as we see with law enforcement harming black and brown communities.” (34:15)

 Ms. Phelps then closes this section of her presentation by saying“ immigration is part of a white supremacy rubric.”:

• “Immigration is part of this white supremacy rubric” (34:42)

 
• “It ultimately places survivors at the intersection of this white supremacy rubric.”      (34:52)

• “The disproportionate impact that our system has on immigrants of color.”     (36:14)

• “What if someone is a felon because of discriminatory, or disproportionately racially motivated, policing?” (36:41)

• “Our police departments that have their historic roots in slave patrols.”     (36:48)

• “There’s a disproportionate impact of criminalization and detention and deportation on black immigrants, including black immigrant women as well.” (36:59)

• “Black immigrants make up only 7.2% of the non-citizen population of the United States, but they make up over 20% of immigrants facing deportation.”     (37:25)

• “There is a pipeline from criminalization and racially motivated and racist white     supremacist law enforcement practices directly to a deportation pipeline.”     (37:45)

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In 2020, Ms. Phelps spoke on a panel called “Shutting Doors: How the U.S. is Poised to End Asylum and Turn Its Back on the Persecuted.”  The panel made numerous claims in favor of an expansive asylum system.  Phelps even went so far as to argue that the mere act of being LGBTQ is a political act, and that therefore LGBTQ individuals should receive asylum on the grounds they are being politically persecuted. Ms. Phelps’ most outlandish comments are highlighted below.

[Note: While this panel was sponsored by the American Bar Association, it was held shortly before Ms. Phelps went to work for the group.]

• “...who are experiencing violence on account of their sex, or on their gender identity.” (31:38)
• “Its provisions on which types of particular social groups would no longer count, make invisible the reality of oppression and subjugation of women     and LGBTQ individuals.” (35:35)
• “These are not mere interpersonal disputes, they are not private criminal acts, they are happening to women, to girls, to LGBTQ individuals, because of a fundamental part of their identity, that falls outside of what the dominant society says is deserving of equality, safety, and full humanity.” (36:45)
• “Insisting     on your rights as a woman, or as somebody living outside of gender     identity, traditional norms and roles,...we know it’s an inherently     political act. We know that [the standard of] anything short of attempting     to overthrow a state or national government [being the criteria for     asylum] is disenfranchising the inherently political nature of how women     and girls, non-binary individuals, trans men and women, other LGBTQ     community members resist oppression and express and exert their political     opinions and actions.” (43:24)

While these are merely a sample of the available material, Ms. Phelps’ comments in these forums leave no doubt as to her views. Kursten Phelps is a radical leftist trying to push LGBTQ and racial theories into government policies on immigration.

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Earlier this year, Ms. Phelps bragged on LinkedIn about USCIS rolling out a “third gender option” on its forms. Notably, Ms. Phelps’ use of the word “our” in the post indicates that she was personally involved in this process.

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Ms. Phelps is a prolific social media user, almost all of it of a political nature.  While Ms. Phelps’ content runs the left-wing issue gamut, LGBT issues, Public Transportation Advocacy, and Systemic Racism (including the bashing on Confederate Generals)are some of her favorite topics.

The following is a sample.

“Entrenched Systemic Racism”

“Confederate General Street Names”

“6 year old: Thomas Jefferson Enslaved His Children”

Reading Huey Newton

“Pride” Busses and Sidewalks

Donation to the Left-wing, LGBTQ Group, The Trevor Project

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