Undocumented youth and allies in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas, Washington, D.C., and across the nation rallied in defense of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), two immigration programs that protect over 1,000,000 immigrants from deportation—and two immigration programs at risk due to Donald Trump and other anti-immigrant extremists.
In Washington, D.C., Congressman Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), former NAACP leader Ben Jealous, community leader Gustavo Torres, and immigrant rights activists were arrested at a demonstration in front of the White House, where they were attempting to stage a sit-in. “They were all citizens, and they were there getting arrested symbolically for DACA recipients,” said Douglas Rivlin, Congressman Gutiérrez communications director.
“There were no DACA recipients in the group, or TPS holders in the group. But the message was: We’re getting arrested on behalf of your families. We’re making our point. We’re standing up and we’re sitting in, for TPS and for DACA.”
In Texas, immigrant youth and allies chanted “The community united, will never be divided!” and led a demonstration in the state that has become ground zero in the fight to continue DACA, locking arms in front of the office of the extremist and legally-beleaguered state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading the fight to end the program.
“I hope to sit in solidarity and to fight in solidarity with DACAmented—and unDACAmented—loved ones, peers, mentors, in my life, and their families, and their communities,” said Chris, an organizer with immigrant youth organization United We Dream Houston. “In Washington, D.C., in the great state of Texas, everywhere in the United States, who are fighting back against the racist and anti-immigrant, the transphobic and queerphobic, the misogynistic, the ableist people in power in Texas and show them that we’re the ones who have the power. We are going to reclaim this state in the name of justice.”
In downtown San Francisco, immigrant rights allies held signs reading “Protect the Dreamers” and chanted, “What do we do when DACA is under attack? Stand up fight back! What do we when TPS is under attack? Stand up fight back!” One member of ASPIRE, the first Pan-Asian undocumented immigrant-led group in the nation, shared his own personal story with the crowd:
“We need to recognize all the stories that all undocumented immigrants bring. Either if they’re very high achieving, or very modest, I think that’s something we have to remember, that all immigrants come here because of their family and values that Americans embrace. I wanted to really highlight the stories of families and parents that cannot really protect themselves because DACA does not help them, and I think that’s something we need to remember too, not just the people we call Dreamers...let’s remember other people that cannot come out. That’s why I’m here today.”
“The South Asian community stands in solidarity with all undocumented folks and people impacted by racial profiling,” said a member with the Alliance of South Asian Taking Action. “I want to remember that as many of us who are Muslim-American are facing anti-Muslim bigotry and the rise of a potential for registry and under surveillance programs that target Muslim-Americans under the idea of national security, we understand that these systems will impact our undocumented folks first, and most. They will impact black folks, and we need to remember that our struggles intersect, and that these are systems of oppression to keep us divided. So this is an opportunity to hold not only [Senator] Dianne Feinstein accountable, but to remember that our fates are all interconnected.”
You can help support 800,000 immigrant youth and 300,000 TPS recipients through the “Defend DACA” website, as well as sending tweets in support using the #DefendDACA hashtag.