A Year of Empowerment | United We Dream

Implementing DACA & Preparing for DAPA

Own The Dream

We informed
34,661
members of our community about DACA and DAPA

We helped
3,710
members of our community apply for DACA

We engaged
8,391
people in grassroots implementation activities

Education Rights

Dream Educational Empowerment Program (DEEP)

Engaged
4,327
students and educators from accross the country

Over
1,042
committed to investing institutional resources in support of undocumented students

Over
80
schools came out in support of undocumented students

We hosted
20
UndocuPeer Trainings for Educators

Criminalization & Enforcement

Deportation Defense

Launched the first and only volunteer-led national Hotline that collects case reports & data to systematically track on the ground behavior & activity by local enforcement agencies and ICE towards undocumented immigrants

Published 2 major reports. Prosecutorial Discretion Denied highlights cases of ICE not following their guidelines & Ending Local Collaboration with ICE engages local communities in investigating how ICE works with local police

Key advisors in drafting & passage of Transgender Care Guidance, a memo issued by the White House, which was sent to ICE field offices as a mandate to be included as part of their training in regards to the treatment and care of the transgender community

Identified over
400
stories, abuses, and trends with the launch of our Deportation Defense Hotline

Supported
12
deportation cases and lifted up narrative of ICE’s inconsistent practice of the new PD guidelines

Trained
110+
people to run anti criminalization & enforcement campaigns, most will be launching their local fights in 2016

LGBTQ Rights

Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project (QUIP)

Equipped
145
with the tools & knowledge to Queerify their organizing & advocacy work

Successfully Engaged
9
affiliate groups to uplift the plight of undocumented LGBTQ immigrants in Pride Month efforts in NY, CO, VA, DC, and WA

Activated
400
people from across the country in the No More Closets campaign to share their UndocuQueer story

Engaged
2,583+
online supporters in #BreakTheCage campaign

Hosted a Congressional
Briefing
as part of our #BreakTheCage campaign to shed light on the inhumane conditions that LGBTQ+ immigrants are subjected to and tackle the enforcement system that terrorizes/profits from the deportation of our communities

In Action!

On September 11, UWD leaders convened & delved into gaining a deeper understanding of the struggle of undocumented immigrant communities within the broader context of criminalization by breaking down the systemic forces that send many of our family members and loved ones behind bars. With an intersectional lens in mind, they developed strategies to fight back against the criminalization of our communities. UWD affiliates left equipped with the knowledge and tools to launch local criminalization & enforcement campaigns. In 2016, we will see this deepened framework on criminalization in action.

In the loom of increased anti-immigrant sentiment and actions attempting to take away our victories of DACA and DAPA, we stood tall and fought back. Our immigrant community participated in mass coming out actions where entire families and communities --both DACA beneficiaries and potential DACA+ and DAPA beneficiaries --shared their stories and defended the DACA+ and DAPA immigration executive actions. The community’s mobilization and empowerment spoke against anti-immigrant hate promoted by xenophobic opponents and public figures --and in 2016, they can expect to continue seeing us in the battlefield.

Trained
2,287
leaders in organizing, recruitment, and communications

Mobilized
19,844
people to take action for our community

UWD Community-Driven Research

In 2015, we launched our community-driven research initiative leading on topics of importance to the immigrant community. In this first year, we published one major report that highlights the opportunities and challenges of DACA beneficiaries and collected data for a second report documenting the lives of LGBTQ immigrants in the U.S.

This survey is one of the largest of its kind, and it takes an in-depth look at life with DACA. The results show that DACA recipients have made great strides and are often the bedrock of economic and social support for their families. They do all of this while still struggling to find economic opportunities and the tools and information they need to navigate health care, workforce, financial, and educational institutions.

Led by and for LGBTQ immigrants, this first of its kind survey was launched by UWD QUIP leaders across the country. The survey takes a thoughtful approach in capturing an understanding of the multi-faceted issues faced by LGBTQ immigrants in the U.S., which in turn informs our advocacy efforts. The survey report is expected to be released early 2016.