Washington, D.C. – This Saturday, June 15, marks 12 years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was first announced. With DACA having faced over a decade of attacks by the right and now awaiting a potentially catastrophic 5th Circuit Court decision this year, today United We Dream and the Home is Here coalition held a press conference in Washington D.C. to urge President Biden deliver an expansive and inclusive safety net of protections for millions without delay.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream, said:
“As we mark 12 years of DACA this week, our communities celebrate the undeniable organizing power of directly-impacted immigrant youth whose courage led the fight to win DACA over a decade ago. In the face of calculated assaults by the right, endless battles in the courts, including at the Supreme Court, it has been the vision, power and courage of Black, brown, and queer immigrant youth that have delivered monumental victories that many once thought were impossible, including DACA.
Still, across the country, thousands of our loved ones languish in detention centers while millions of others continue to be cruelly left out of DACA and face the threat of deportation every day. This anniversary grounds us in this truth that we cannot stop fighting until everyone in our communities has the freedom to live, thrive, and exist in the places they call home without being attacked. No matter how hard MAGA extremists have tried to hurt us –and tell us we don’t belong– we’ve organized, strategized and fought back with greater tenacity and strength to keep our communities safe. DACA has changed our lives by providing hundreds of thousands of people with the freedom to work, protections from deportation, and helped keep our families together. 12 years later, our power has only grown stronger with the support of millions of Americans who know our home is here. Together, we demand President Biden be on the side of keeping our families together and deliver inclusive protections for millions now.”
Ashly Trejo Mejia, Member of United We Dream, said:
“There is no denying that DACA has been life changing for me and hundreds of thousands of other young people across the country. Because of DACA, I was able to get my drivers license and my first summer job. Since I first got DACA in high school, I have been able to live what has felt like a relatively normal life, like my friends. I even graduated from Marymount University with a degree in biology and now have my eyes set on medical school. But, I know that so many in my community have been left out of the program, and I will not stand by while millions remain vulnerable. Our communities organized and won DACA 12 years ago, and it is with this people power that I know we will win even greater protections for our families and our loved ones.
With DACA at the hands of an anti-immigrant 5th Circuit Court and likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court once again, I urge President Biden to be on my side; be on the side of people like me and my community who are urging you to deliver expanded, strengthened relief for millions.”
