On Tuesday, coward-in-Chief Trump sent his toady Attorney General (Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III) to deliver the damning decision rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through which President Obama, by executive order, had protected more than 800,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation.
With DACA, we promised young DREAMers who were brought here as children through no fault of their own that if they came into the light, we could offer them a chance at legal employment and a reprieve from the constant spectre of deportation. Trump’s evil decision to obliterate this promise plays directly to his racist and anti-immigrant base, and serves only to tear apart families, friends, neighbors, and communities.
Misconceptions about DACA abound, not to mention the vicious lies that Trump and other GOPers spout, many of which Sessions repeated when he told DREAMers they were being shown the door. Eligibility is complicated, stringent, and expensive ($495 every 2 years) – and meeting them did not guarantee approval, let alone review in a timely manner. The basics:
- Under 31 years old on 6/15/12 and entered US before 16 years old
- Resided continuously in US since 6/5/07 and physically present on 6/15/12
- No lawful status on 6/15/12
- In school or graduated, or honorably discharged military veteran
- No conviction for felony, significant misdemeanor, 3 or more other misdemeanors, and do not pose a threat to national security or public safety
United We Dream and the National Immigration Law Center list the top 5 things for DACA recipients to know about the announcement:
- Your DACA is valid until its expiration date
- No new DACA applications will be accepted
- DACA issuances and work permits that expire between now and 3/5/18 must be submitted for renewal by 10/5/17
- Advance parole to travel abroad is no longer available
- We are united in this fight
DACA recipients and applicants should consult a qualified immigration attorney as soon as possible to figure out your rights, responsibilities, and options. You can find much information on the internet, but please make sure that the source is trustworthy. The Department of Homeland Security published a list of FAQs about the rescission.
There are many groups and organizations who work with the immigrant community. “What Do I Need to Know About the End of DACA?” is the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s very helpful community advisory, including links to several good sources of information:
- United We Dream
- Informed Immigrant
- Defend DACA
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center
- National Immigration Law Center
- We Are Here To Stay
And for all of us — we must support our DREAMers! This is the Indivisible Guide’s three-pronged approach:
- Tell your MoC to defend the DACAmented
- Search for or register an event in your area
- Use these resources to stand up for immigrant rights
Huffington Post lists several actions, with suggested scripts and links:
- Let the White House know how you feel
- Contact your MoC
- Get the word out on social media
- And… repeat
Also be aware that a big part of helping includes doing no harm! Written months ago, the 18 precautions in “Don’t Get Your Undocumented Friends in Trouble: A How-to” are even more critical now.
President Obama, who has been generally silent as Trump blasts through and overturns so many of the advances made during his presidency, issued a statement on Facebook in which he said that Trump’s decision is ultimately about basic decency. That is obviously a concept which is wholly foreign to the current occupant of the White House.
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