FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2021
Contact: media@dreamteamla.org
DREAM Team Los Angeles is outraged by the ruling to suspend DACA applications!
As the immigrant rights youth organization who researched the authority of the President to grant Administrative Relief to DREAM Act eligible youth through executive action we are well aware the program is lawful and constitutional.
Deferred Action (DACA) has significant precedence as used by prior Administrations and is similar to other programs of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to grant relief from deportation to classes of immigrants. These programs have been thoroughly adjudicated and DACA will be restored upon appeal to the Supreme Court.
Kevin Solis – Policy Director, DREAM Team Los Angeles
At a time when employers cannot find enough employees, the Republican talking point of immigration as economic policy can be shown to be what it was all along; baseless anti-immigrant rhetoric used to score political points for their party.
There was already a significant backlog in DACA renewals. Something that has never happened in the DACA program. People have been fired from jobs when their DACA expired without a renewal. Requests for documents (RFDs) are up in cases that were renewed several times in the past. But the most important thing is regarding new applicants, those who just graduated high school and were counting on their DACA to apply to college, to get jobs. The work permit has been a lifeline for many families who cannot otherwise legally work. Now, all these plans, all these dreams were taken away from them. And for what?
Magybet Mendez – Program Director, DREAM Team Los Angeles / immigo – Executive Director
The DACA program was meant to be temporary while President Obama worked on permanent immigration reform. We’ve seen how successive Administrations have weakened or tried to eliminate it, and the Biden Administration is struggling with the program. We call on Congress to draft immediate bills to bring forth a DREAM Act and end this political football.
Contact media@dreamteamla.org to arrange for interviews. Interviews in English and Spanish.
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