FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2017
Contact: info@dreamteamla.org
President Trump Defers Action on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Dream Team Los Angeles, a group of undocumented activists, along with millions of other undocumented are breathing a sigh of relief that President Trump made no announcement about the fate of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Yet we know he built his presidential campaign around ending the policy and to deport all 11 million undocumented. It is not just the fear of uncertainty about the DACA program but the larger climate of hate and scapegoating of immigrants we find ourselves in.
As summed up by undocumented activist Maria Castro;
“I am definitely concerned about DACA ending but what keeps me up at night is the threat of the unleashing of the deportation machine into the streets and into our homes.”
It also comes of little comfort that the president is going to prioritize removal of “those people who would harm our nation”, as this priority removal process continues the policies of past administrations who discovered this is a very small number of the total undocumented population. And to make deportation quotas people of very minor infractions get caught up in deportation. A process that could make a child as young as 6 years old face an immigration judge all alone without legal representation.
The DACA provides minimal protection for undocumented youth and was meant to be a temporary program while Congress took up the task of immigration reform. We call upon President Trump to do what President Obama could not; pass real, meaningful legislation to address immigration once and for all.
The immigrant communities who contribute to this nation’s economy will not stand idly by for another administration’s reform inaction, nor tolerate the rhetoric and attacks directed towards us. It is time for a president who wants to lead all America to remove fear and uncertainty from our national discourse. Now is the time for action.
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DREAM Team Los Angeles seeks to create a space where undocumented immigrant youth become empowered through education and shared experiences, and develop as efficient advocates for their rights and those of the larger immigrant community.