Advancing Justice Urges Trump to Uphold DACA
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Washington, D.C. — August 25, 2017 — The news outlet Axios broke news that President Trump is seriously considering ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which has transformed the lives of about 800,000 young people, including over 16,000 Asian American immigrant youth.
Advancing Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, releases the following statement:
We are deeply concerned about the threat being faced by community members who have DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). In the last five years, we have seen many young immigrants take advantage of the opportunities that DACA presents for them such as the ability to pursue higher education, financially provide for themselves and their family, drive and purchase a car, and, for some, even become homeowners. The DACA program has not only benefited these young people but our local and national economies as well. DACA is a common sense policy and has been a successful program that has a firm legal basis.
Asian immigrants make up 11 percent of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, and of those that are undocumented and eligible, 20 percent are protected through DACA.
Ending such an impactful and meaningful program does not reflect who we are as a nation. In fact, 8 out 10 voters want a more permanent solution for these young immigrants. President Trump should seriously consider who he listens to in this matter. He has said in the past that he believes our nation should embrace these immigrant youth; if he changes his mind now, he would be clearly caving to the influence of those who support a white supremacist agenda in seeking to close off all paths of immigration to predominantly Asian, Latino and African immigrants.
We call on all of our elected officials to take action for DACA recipients and the immigrant community by supporting and protecting sound policies like DACA and TPS. Advancing Justice is committed to ensuring that all members of our community are protected and are treated with respect and dignity.
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