Tag: immigration reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 17, 2021

Contact: media@dreamteamla.org

Texas Judge Ruling on DACA

On July 16, 2021 a Texas federal judge sided with Republicans to suspend the DACA program. The ruling is effective immediately. Those filing DACA renewals may continue to do so. First time DACA applicants will not be approved after July 17, 2021.

The ruling will be appealed on behalf of the Biden Administration and we fully expect the DACA program to be reinstated upon review by the Supreme Court.

The constant attack on DACA by the Republicans shows that permanent protections are needed. Currently there is a pathway to citizenship within the next reconciliation bill and it can pass the senate with a simple majority vote of all Democrats. We must keep up the pressure on Congress.

On a personal note, yesterday we looked at pending first time DACA applicants at our legal assistance program, immigo. We found that some applications were suddenly approved. Most were not. It was very strange to call people and deliver either the best news, or the worst that they were not approved in time. 

One of our applicants shared her story on Telemundo at 11:00pm last night and she speaks for many:

“When I applied for my DACA I was excited. I began looking at college courses and even looking at jobs I would want. And in one day my dreams, my hopes were shattered.”

For very many reasons I want to give you all hope. Not just that DACA will be reinstated but it will be replaced by permanent legislative protections by year’s end. DREAM Team LA was founded in activism and by reading this you are activists who do not wait for things to happen. Call your congressperson, call your two state senators and demand that a pathway to citizenship be included in the next reconciliation bill.

If you have specific questions about your pending DACA applications, first time or renewal, please reach out to our immigration legal assistance program at immigola.org

Contact media@dreamteamla.org to arrange for interviews. Interviews in English and Spanish.

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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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