Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s illegal cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. To interview DACA beneficiaries working for faith-based institutions, contact Lynn Tramonte at media@interfaithimmigration.org.
Giovana Oaxaca, Government Relations Associate at NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said: “In a month of historic firsts, the Supreme Court’s decision against President Trump’s plan to end DACA is yet another example of the power of the rule of law and organized activists. This program has changed the lives of 700,000 DACA recipients who, like myself, will be able to continue to work and live without fear of deportation. This ruling spotlights the need to guarantee full protections and a pathway to citizenship for the hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth who call the U.S. home.”
“As a DACA recipient, tonight I will be able to sleep soundly knowing that we will continue to be protected from deportation and able to work and study in the U.S.,” said José Arnulfo Cabrera, director of education and advocacy for migration at the Ignatian Solidarity Network. “But this doesn’t mean that the fight is over. We must remember that DACA was created as a temporary protection for undocumented youth. We must continue to work for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, undocumented youth, and our undocumented families, and begin to fix our broken immigration system.”
“I can vividly recall the first time I heard about DACA, a program set to deliver all those who had been living in the shadows of the system,” said Valeria Bejar, Immigration Response Specialist, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). “Now, that hope and light I felt then can continue, and DACA can allow for 700,000+ immigrant youth to dream dreams and hold hopes that otherwise are impossible. However, to avoid living with ongoing uncertainty, we must have a legislative solution, one that continues to offer us stability, progress, and a future. We urge the Senate to take up now a permanent solution such as The American Dream and Promise Act, which has been in the Senate’s hands for over a year. We must continue the fight for justice and progress for immigrant communities, so those who come after us can continue to dream.”
Itzel Hernandez, American Friends Service Committee, Red Bank Immigrants Rights Organizer and DACA recipient, said: “In the face of a global health crisis and ongoing uprising against police brutality and systemic racism brought on by white supremacy, the protections that DACA offers Black and Brown undocumented youth is needed now more than ever. DACA allows recipients to continue the fulfillment of their God-given potential without fear of detention and deportation. Black and Brown immigrants are targeted daily by a xenophobic immigration and law enforcement system. As we celebrate this hard-fought victory, we stand in solidarity with Black organizers whose actions and commitment to justice contributed to this win. We must continue to fight for justice and equality for all, especially the Black and Brown community. Congress must cut funding to agencies like ICE and CBP that target young immigrants and their families and should instead pass legislation like HR6 that will provide a permanent path to citizenship for DACA recipients.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
###