Campaign Action
Numerous court decisions have allowed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to apply for renewal of their protections, yet anti-immigrant Republicans like Ken Paxton continue to challenge those decisions. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan claims he supports immigrant youth, yet he’s also strong-arming House Republicans into not signing a discharge petition that would force a vote on permanent protections for immigrant youth. In the midst of this congressional inaction and ongoing court fights, undocumented immigrant youth and their families continue to wait and worry. Alexis, a member of immigrant rights group Make The Road New York, says:
I was born in the United States, and, for most of my life, I thought my older sister was too.
I learned about my sister Yatziri’s immigration status one afternoon when I found her crying in the kitchen. She was crying because she was not going to be able to go to college. I asked why. She explained, “I don’t have papers.”
I didn’t understand at first. But I quickly learned. At the age of 12, I realized that my older sister could one day be taken away from me.
From that day, I understood that I had enormous privileges that set me apart from my sister, despite the fact that she had lived in the United States since the age of two.
Alexis writes that some of this weight was lifted when President Obama announced DACA in 2012, which allowed Yatziri a chance to apply for a work permit, a driver’s license, and finally lift some of the fear of deportation off her shoulders. “Despite not being able to access financial aid, she worked hard to support herself, holding down two jobs while finishing her studies. First hand, I saw how day after day my sister strived to succeed in this country. DACA allowed my sister to not feel fear; and I knew that she was safe from deportation. But we both knew this safety net was not foolproof, since it did not provide permanent protection.” Then, Donald Trump became president.
“I cannot fathom the idea that one day my sister may not be in the United States, the place she has called home for over 20 years,” he continues. “I can’t imagine not being able to spend the afternoon with her, going to the movies, walking our new puppy, or even her not being able to attend my college graduation.” Trump already has torpedoed numerous bipartisan deals that would have protected young immigrants like Yatziri, while the Stephen Miller-penned plan he’s proposed would cruelly punish Yatziri and Alexis’ family in exchange for protections for her:
To me, this last point is most troubling: Trump is blackmailing my family by pitting my sister’s future against the future of our parents and other undocumented relatives, many of whom would suffer from any further increases in deportations.
Already, my parents have not been able to visit me at college during “family weekends,” or any family college event because they are scared of traveling to upstate New York and being stopped by ICE officers. I would rather my family not visit me than have them put themselves at risk of being detained, or worse, deported.
DACA recipients, even though they are able to renew their protections, remain under threat without congressional action. Seattle DACA recipient Daniel Ramirez Medina passed his background check numerous times, yet the federal government has continued to lie and claim he’s in a gang in their attempts to strip him of his protections. “Our parents taught us the value of hard work and good character,” Alexis continues. “Neither Trump nor Sessions, or anyone for that matter, will ever make my sister or I turn our backs on our parents”:
To members of Congress, I say: it has been over 200 days since Trump ended DACA and of your inaction, we cannot wait any longer. 20,000 immigrant youth have already lost their DACA protections, and this will number will continue to increase day by day. The time to act is now.
While my sister can’t vote, I, as a U.S. citizen, can. And so too can hundreds of thousands of children, brothers, sisters, and friends of Dreamers whose lives Congress left in limbo. As we get closer to November, know that we are paying attention.
“The need for permanent protection is urgent,” he writes. “Congress, pass the Dream Act. As Trump continues trying to blackmail my family, my request is simple: do not allow my sister to be taken away from me. And do not pit her future against the future of my parents.” The discharge petition that Ryan is desperately blocking needs only five more Republican signatures, and he’s blocking it for obvious reasons—“such a full vote” on the DREAM Act Greg Sargent writes, “probably would be successful,” and piss off the base. It’s disgusting, craven partisanship, and at the expense of young Americans-in-waiting like Yatziri.