Shriver Center Condemns Trump Administration’s Decision to Rescind DACA and Stands with the Immigrant Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2017

Contact: Michelle Nicolet
mnicolet@povertylaw.org
(P) 312.368.2675

Chicago, IL—Our country is at its strongest when we welcome immigrants. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has strengthened our communities by contributing to our diversity and giving young people opportunities to thrive.

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law condemns the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to end DACA and senselessly upend hundreds of thousands of lives. DACA recipients and their families, who exemplify the resilience of the American Dream every day, should not be subject to the racial animus motivating this cruel decision.

DACA was a reasonable, temporary solution to failures of our immigration system that kept young people living in the United States from opportunities to get an education and work to support themselves and their families. DACA recipients and their families are part of our social fabric—they are our friends, our neighbors, our classmates, our caretakers, and our coworkers. Many have lived in the United States for most of their lives and have few connections to their country of birth.

While egregious, Tuesday’s decision is just the latest move from the Trump Administration tinged with racism and xenophobia. After running a campaign filled with anti-immigrant rhetoric, President Trump has sharply curtailed enforcement of civil rights in key federal agencies, advanced a policy agenda that promises to exacerbate racial and ethnic inequities, and equivocated on terrorist actions by white supremacists.

Congress must act immediately to restore order to the lives of DACA recipients by passing legislation that allows them to live and work without fear of deportation. The Shriver Center stands with our allies in demanding that elected officials deliver the permanent stability that immigrant communities have been unfairly deprived of for far too long.

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The Shriver Center on Poverty Law fights for economic and racial justice. Over our 50-year history, we have secured hundreds of victories with and for people living in poverty in Illinois and across the country. Today, we litigate, shape policy, and train and convene multi-state networks of lawyers, community leaders, and activists nationwide. Together, we are building a future where all people have equal dignity, respect, and power under the law. Join the fight at povertylaw.org.